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2.5 tons of meth seized in massive San Diego bust

By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

SAN DIEGO — Four men from Tijuana, Mexico, were charged Friday with federal drug trafficking after the seizure of more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine that the U.S. Attorney’s Office called one of San Diego County’s largest meth confiscations on record.

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The men were allegedly spotted Thursday in National City, California, unloading dozens of boxes from a truck, later determined to contain the drugs. Police followed the truck and arrested its occupants after witnessing them move the cardboard boxes from the truck into a Dodge van, KNSD reported.

A total of 148 bundles were confiscated, the TV station reported.

“Due to stellar work by law enforcement agents, the government stopped more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine from being distributed on our streets,” Randy Grossman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a prepared statement, calling the bust a “significant accomplishment.”

Shelly S. Howe, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge, called the “monumental” seizure a “win against drug cartels that fuel addiction in the United States.”

The four men arrested on conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine have been identified by Grossman’s office as:

  • Rafael Alzua, 37
  • Galdrino Contreras, 41
  • Mario Contreras, 41
  • Ethgar Velazquez, 44

If convicted, each man faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, as well as a $10 million fine, Grossman’s office confirmed.

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