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OCEANSIDE, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stopped a boat at Oceanside Harbor and uncovered more than 500 pounds of methamphetamine aboard, authorities announced Monday.

CBP Marine Interdiction agents patrolling the harbor contacted the boat’s 48-year-old driver, a US citizen, around 10:30 a.m. Friday. The boat was arriving to Oceanside from Mexico.

A customs inspection of the boat revealed 200 tightly wrapped packages containing 540.5 pounds of meth hidden in a compartment that ran down the sides of the hull under the floor, CBP agent said.

The estimated value of the confiscated drugs was about $7 million.

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“A smuggler posing as a legitimate recreational or commercial boater is the proverbial needle in a sea of needles in a place like Southern California and Baja Mexico, where boating is a way of life,” said Keley Hill, Director of Marine Operations in San Diego.

The boat was turned over to CBP and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took the driver into custody. He faces federal prosecution.