16-year-old arrested for using remote-controlled car to smuggle drugs across U.S.-Mexico border

SAN DIEGO, California — A 16-year-old who allegedly used a remote-controlled car to attempt to smuggle methamphetamine across the U.S.-Mexico border has been arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents, the agency announced.

The teenager, a U.S. citizen, was arrested Sunday after agents spotted him carrying two large duffel bags and ducking in-and-out of an agent’s view, US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

He was found hiding in thick brush along the border. When they searched him, agents found a remote-controlled car and 50 packages of methamphetamine, CBP said.

The agency says the 55.84 pounds of methamphetamine seized has an estimated street value of $106,096.

The teenager faces drug smuggling charges, the CBP statement said.

“I am extremely proud of the agents’ heightened vigilance and hard work in stopping this unusual smuggling scheme,” said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison.

A similar event occurred in August 2017, when agents arrested a 25-year-old man for attempting to smuggle drugs across the border with a remote-controlled drone.

The man was found with 13.44 pounds of methamphetamine, the agency said.