PINE VALLEY, Calif. - U.S. Border Patrol agents staffing an East County freeway checkpoint over the weekend discovered a 28-pound stash of methamphetamine inside an SUV, the federal agency reported Monday.

The 1999 Jeep Cherokee entered the Interstate 8 inspection station in the Pine Valley area about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. During a cursory inspection of the vehicle, a service dog alerted officers to the presence of contraband.

A more intensive search uncovered the narcotic, which was wrapped in 25 bundles and concealed inside a rear seat cushion. The drug haul had an estimated street value of roughly $565,000.

The driver, a 41-year-old male Mexican national, was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Correction Center in downtown San Diego. His name was not released.

The Border Patrol impounded the Jeep along with the methamphetamine.