SALTON CITY, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a United States citizen accused of smuggling illegal narcotics through an immigration checkpoint Saturday night.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:43 p.m., when a white 2015 Ford F-150 approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. The agent checking vehicles in the lanes referred the vehicle aside for further investigation.
A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the rear passenger door of the vehicle. Upon further inspection of the interior of the vehicle, agents discovered a loaded 9mm handgun underneath the driver’s seat and four large car batteries beneath the passenger’s seat. Agents removed the batteries and discovered hidden compartments within all of them. The four batteries combined contained two packages of a white crystal-like substance, one package containing blue pills, and four packages containing a white powdery-like substance.
The contents inside each of the packages were tested and positively identified the white crystal-like substance as methamphetamine, the white powdery-like substance as cocaine and the blue pills as fentanyl.
The driver, a 22-year-old male, was caught with 10.92 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated value of $173,250.00, 19.6 pounds of methamphetamine worth $59,913.00.00, and 2.46 pounds of fentanyl worth $27,500.00
The individual, vehicle, firearm, and narcotics were later turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Loaded Gun, Cocaine, Fentanyl, & Meth, ALL Seized at Checkpoint
