SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.— Border Patrol agents working along the Interstate 5 corridor arrested two drug smugglers, August 27. The incidents were less than five hours apart and resulted in more than $1 million dollars in narcotics.
The first incident occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. A 44-year-old Mexican national in a 2005 Nissan Sentra made a rolling stop at the San Clemente checkpoint, then accelerated without stopping. Agents halted the car and conducted an immigration inspection. The man presented questionable identification and was referred for a secondary inspection. While agents inspected the man’s damaged identification, a nearby K-9 alerted to the Sentra.
Agents searched the car and located 13 bundles of narcotics inside the driver’s side rear-door panel and 15 more bundles on the passenger side. There were an additional five bundles hidden inside the rear wheel wells. The 33 bundles weighed 48.32 pounds. Twenty-six were filled with meth and seven were filled with heroin. The narcotics had an estimated street value of $519,880.
Agents discovered 15 bundles of cocaine inside the dashboard of a truck.
The second incident occurred a few hours later at 6:30 p.m. Agents observed a suspicious vehicle on I-5 and conducted a stop near the San Clemente checkpoint. A nearby K-9 alerted to the man’s 2004 Dodge Ram truck. A search of the 33-year-old Mexican national’s truck revealed 15 bundles of cocaine hidden in the dashboard. The narcotics weighed 38.36 pounds and have an estimated street value of $498,680.
The two Mexican national men were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and face narcotic smuggling charges. The vehicles were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.