SAN DIEGO, California – Mexican nationals smuggling over a total of $1 million worth of narcotics were apprehended in two separate incidents on the same day along the I-5 corridor through the cooperation of Border Patrol Agents and their K-9s.
One of the men, a 44-year-old Mexican national in a 2005 Nissan Sentra, was referred for secondary inspection after suspicious actions at the San Clemente checkpoint. In secondary, a nearby drug-sniffing K-9 alerted to the vehicle, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection release.
Found inside the car’s door panels were 33 bundles of narcotics weighing 48.32 pounds; 26 bundles contained meth, and seven contained heroin for a total $519,880 in estimated street value.
Within hours, a second, separate incident occurred when border patrol agents observed a suspicious vehicle on the I-5 freeway. Agents stopped the 2004 Dodge Ram truck that was driven by a 33-year-old Mexican national. Again, a nearby K-9 alerted to the truck and, upon inspection, it was found that the man was attempting to smuggle 38.36 pounds of cocaine inside the truck’s dashboard. The drugs had an approximate street value of $498,680.
Both Mexican nationals were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration to be charged for smuggling narcotics.
U.S. Border Patrol encourages citizens to report suspicious activity in the area to San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.
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