Imperial Valley News

Pine Valley, California - This weekend, U.S. Border Patrol agents made two seizures of marijuana in East County netting 486.2 pounds with an estimated street value of nearly $300,000. One seizure was stashed in a secret compartment of a pick-up truck.

The first incident took place on Saturday morning at about 10 a.m., at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 in Pine Valley, California During inspection, a Border Patrol K-9 team alerted on a Ford F-250 pick-up truck leading agents to discover a false door when the tailgate was opened. The door led to a secret compartment under the truck’s bed which held 38 packages of marijuana weighing a total of 259.4 pounds. The driver of the Ford, a 20-year-old female U.S. citizen, and her 22-year-old male passenger, a Mexican national, traveling with a valid passport and visa, were arrested and later turned over to a multi-agency, anti-drug task force.

The second seizure occurred on Sunday night at about 7:30 p.m., when agents stopped a Ford Bronco on a dirt road approximately 10 miles east of the Tecate port of entry. Agents discovered 55 bundles of marijuana weighing 226.8 pounds that were stuffed inside four backpacks lying in the rear compartment of the Bronco. Agents arrested the driver, a 66-year-old male U.S. citizen. The driver and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for processing.

A defense-in-depth enforcement posture is maintained by the U.S. Border Patrol through checkpoints and coordinated enforcement operations. Since October 1, 2008, the men and women of San Diego Sector have seized more than 17,500 pounds of marijuana and 1,050 pounds of cocaine in San Diego Sector.