CALEXICO, CALIF.—U.S.Customs and Border Protection officers at the downtown Calexico port of entry over the weekend seized about $205,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine and apprehended four individuals with outstanding warrants, including a homicide suspect.
The first incident occurred Friday, August 23rd, at about 3:00 p.m., when a canine team was screening vehicles as they waited in line for inspection. The team's detector dog alerted to a 2006 Ford and CBP officers escorted the vehicle and its occupants, a 49-year-old woman and her 37-year-old passenger for further examination.
While conducting an intensive inspection, officers discovered eight wrapped packages of cocaine and three packages of methamphetamine inside the firewall of the vehicle. The combined weight of the narcotics was over 24 pounds.
The driver and passenger, both Mexican citizens and residents of San Felipe, Baja California, were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents for further processing. Both subjects were later transported to the Imperial County Jail where they currently await arraignment.
CBP seized the narcotics and the vehicle.
On Sunday, August 25th, CBP officers encountered Victor Manuel Sandoval, a 34-year-old U.S. citizen, as he entered the port in a vehicle.
A CBP officer checked Sandoval's name against law enforcement databases, and was alerted to a warrant for homicide, wanted by the Orange County Sherriff's Office. Officers ran his fingerprints through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint System (IAFIS), confirming his identity as well as the active felony warrant.
Sandoval, a resident of Santa Ana, California, was booked into the Imperial County Jail to await extradition.
CBP officers also apprehended three other individuals over the weekend, wanted on outstanding warrants for military desertion, drug possession, and stolen vehicle charges.