U.S. Border Patrol Agents Foil Two Drug Smuggling Attempts and Confiscate Weapons and Ammo on I-8
- Details
- Created on Tuesday, 08 January 2013 20:11
- Written by Border Scope
Pine Valley, California - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to duties on Interstate 8 intercepted two narcotic smuggling attempts and confiscated weapons and ammunition on Friday evening near Pine Valley.
The first incident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. when agents at the I-8 checkpoint encountered a 28-year-old male United States citizen driving a 2011 Toyota Tacoma. Agents became suspicious of the man and referred him for a secondary inspection. A Border Patrol K-9 team performed a cursory inspection, which resulted in an alert to the driver’s door and to the inside center console. Agents searched the vehicle and discovered $12,910 of U.S. currency and marijuana inside the console, a jar of marijuana behind the driver’s seat, a brown grocery bag of marijuana near the right tail light, and a 9mm handgun with two loaded magazines and a box of ammunition behind the driver’s seat. The marijuana weighed 1.32 pounds and had an estimated street value of $19,800. Agents arrested the suspected smuggler and confiscated the narcotics, gun, ammunition, and vehicle.
The second incident occurred a few hours later at approximately 7:00 p.m. when agents stopped a 1991 Honda CRX on I-8 near Kitchen Creek Road. As agents approached the vehicle, the 25-year-old-male United States citizen driver grabbed a 12 gauge shotgun from the passenger seat. A Border Patrol agent intercepted the move and removed the gun from the driver. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a bag containing marijuana on the front passenger seat, a duffle bag containing marijuana in the trunk, a scale, baggies, and a log book listing marijuana sales. The marijuana weighed slightly less than one pound and had an estimated street value of $14,850. The suspect was arrested and turned over to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for pending charges. The marijuana, shotgun, ammunition, record book, and vehicle were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.