Imperial Valley News

Calexico, California - United States Customs and Border Protection officers foiled three narcotics smuggling attempts worth close to $1 million during a 2-1/2-hour period yesterday afternoon at the Calexico downtown port of entry, officials announced.

The most recent interception occurred at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a 22-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a white 2000 Toyota Tundra with Baja California plates was referred to the vehicle secondary examination area for further examination.

In the secondary examination area, an intensive inspection of the vehicle and utilization of a detector dog led to the discovery of 33 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed in a non-factory compartment in the vehicle’s roof area. The weight of the narcotics was 93 pounds with a street value of $837,000.

CBP officers arrested the driver, a resident of Mexicali, Baja California, for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and transferred him to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for further processing. The vehicle and narcotics were seized by CBP.

A 23-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a silver 1999 Mercury Cougar was arrested by CBP officers earlier that afternoon after they discovered 67 pounds of marijuana valued at over $60,000 hidden inside the vehicle during a intensive secondary examination.

The driver and vehicle were referred to the secondary examination area at about 3:40 p.m. after the primary officer noticed signs of nervousness being displayed by the driver.

At the secondary examination area, utilization of a portable contraband detector and canine led officers to the discovery of 13 wrapped packages of marijuana concealed inside the vehicle’s quarter panels.

The driver, a resident of Westmorland, California, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Both the vehicle and narcotics were seized by CBP.

The third seizure occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. when a 18-year-old male U.S. citizen and a 21-year-old male Mexican citizen in a brown 1994 Mazda Navajo with California plates were referred to the vehicle secondary examination area for further inspection.

In the secondary examination area, a detector dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. An intensive inspection led to the discovery of 16 wrapped packages of marijuana concealed in non-factory compartments inside all four tires of the vehicle. The weight of the narcotic was 106 pounds with a street value of $96,320.

CBP officers arrested the driver and passenger, both residents of Calexico, for the alleged illegal importation of narcotics. Both were turned over to the custody of ICE agents for further investigation. The marijuana and vehicle were seized as evidence by CBP officers.