Justin De La Torre, Border Patrol Chief of the Yuma Sector, announced that Wellton Station agents seized over 57 pounds of methamphetamine during a vehicle stop east of Yuma and arrested three suspects. The statement was made on X.
“More than 57 pounds of methamphetamine are off the streets,” said De La Torre. “Agents arrested three subjects and turned them and the meth over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.”
In April 2025, Wellton Station agents intercepted a methamphetamine smuggling attempt along Interstate 8 east of Yuma when a vehicle stop revealed multiple drug packages hidden inside. According to the U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Sector, the seizure highlights how I-8 continues to serve as a key corridor for meth trafficking into Arizona despite increased enforcement.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Border Patrol agents in the Yuma region have seized large methamphetamine loads in recent years, including a September 2020 case where more than 47 pounds of meth were discovered at an Interstate 8 checkpoint. These seizures underscore the ongoing threat of high-volume meth trafficking through Arizona’s desert highways.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced in August 2025 the launch of Project Portero, a bilateral initiative working with CBP and Mexican authorities to dismantle cartel “gatekeepers” responsible for methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine trafficking. The effort highlights growing interagency collaboration on narcotics enforcement.
De La Torre is the Chief Patrol Agent of the Yuma Sector, a position he assumed in 2025 after serving as Deputy Chief in Tucson. He began his Border Patrol career in the San Diego Sector more than 25 years ago and now oversees operations in Arizona, focusing on adapting to new migrant flows and increasing narcotics interdiction.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with safeguarding the nation’s borders and preventing illegal entry. Since its establishment in 1924, CBP has operated across 328 ports of entry, protecting 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.
