Federal and local law enforcement agents in San Diego made one of the largest drug busts of the year earlier this week, arresting three men in the U.S. illegally and seizing nearly 8,000 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $5 million.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (SDCSO), the arrests occurred Monday evening during a coordinated narcotics investigation in the South Bay region. Around 7 p.m., SDCSO detectives and U.S. Border Patrol agents observed three vehicles being loaded with suspected drug bundles in a parking lot on Otay Mesa Road.
Two of the vehicles were later tracked to a motel in San Ysidro, and the third to a motel in Chula Vista. Authorities stopped the vehicles and arrested all three drivers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California identified the suspects as 27-year-old Erick Omar Arriola, a Salvadoran national, and Mexican nationals Eugenio Lizama, 35, and Baltazar Rodriguez Reyes, 49. All three men were confirmed to be in the United States illegally.
Arriola has a prior criminal record that includes convictions for driving under the influence, battery of a spouse, and false imprisonment, the Department of Justice said.
Searches of the vehicles revealed a staggering 61 bundles of methamphetamine, weighing more than 7,700 pounds in total. Authorities estimate the street value of the seizure at $5.5 million.
“This is one of the most significant methamphetamine seizures in 2025 in the Southern District of California,” the DOJ stated. “It is also the largest to date by the newly formed Homeland Security Task Force San Diego, created earlier this year by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security at the request of President Trump.”
All three suspects were booked into the San Diego Central Jail and face multiple charges, including conspiracy, transportation, and possession of controlled substances with intent to sell.
With input from Fox News
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