SAN DIEGO - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 130 pounds of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in two separate busts at California ports of entry on a single Sunday, with the narcotics carrying a combined estimated street value of $383,091, the agency announced.
“Sunday may be a day of rest for many, but criminals don’t take days off, and neither do our CBP officers,” said Sidney K. Aki, San Diego Director of Field Operations. “Our officers remain vigilant around the clock, and these significant seizures are a direct result of their commitment to keeping dangerous drugs like these from entering our country.”
The first interception occurred at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when a CBP canine team alerted to a 2013 Honda Civic driven by a 30-year-old female Mexican national. Officers referred the vehicle to secondary inspection, where an imaging system revealed anomalies in the firewall. A physical search uncovered six packages containing approximately 7.89 pounds of white fentanyl powder valued at an estimated $113,616 and 8.42 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $161,664.
Later that day at the Calexico East Port of Entry, officers referred a 30-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 2011 Nissan Cube for secondary inspection. A nonintrusive imaging scan revealed anomalies in the vehicle’s floor. Officers discovered a non-factory compartment containing 63 packages of methamphetamine weighing approximately 119.79 pounds, with an estimated street value of $107,811.
CBP seized the narcotics and both vehicles. Officers arrested the two drivers, who face federal prosecution for narcotics importation. The agency said the enforcement actions were carried out under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin as part of ongoing efforts to stop drug smuggling along the southwest border.