Man attempts to smuggle 77 pounds of meth to pay off debt

Hidalgo Port of Entry is seen in this undated photo. (Courtesy: CBP)

A United States man arrested for attempting to smuggle over 70 pounds of methamphetamine from Mexico said he agreed to do so in order to pay off a debt he owed, according to a criminal complaint.

Luis Angel Salazar, who was born in 1998, was charged with knowingly and intentionally possessing with intent to distribute about 77 pounds of methamphetamine.

On Wednesday, Salazar was driving a black Cadillac CTS bearing Mexican license plates at the Hidalgo Port of Entry when a K-9 unit alerted Customs and Border Protection officers to the back door of the vehicle, according to the complaint.

Salazar was referred to a secondary inspection where officers noticed anomalies in the front and back doors and the backseat area of the vehicle.

Further inspection revealed multiple bundles of crystallized substance which later field tested positive for the properties and characteristics of methamphetamine.

“A total of 65 bundles were removed from the vehicle and produced a total weight of (77 pounds) of methamphetamine,” the complaint said.

Drug Enforcement Administration special agents responded to the port of entry for investigative assistance and interviewed Salazar.

According to Salazar, he knew he was transporting an unknown quantity of drugs into the U.S. from Mexico adding that a third party hired him to transport them which would pay off a financial debt he owed.

Salazar is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker in McAllen federal court for his preliminary and detention hearing Monday morning.

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