SALTON CITY, Calif. – Thursday, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station apprehended a woman suspected narcotics smuggler at the Highway 86 checkpoint and seized heroin and methamphetamine.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m., when Border Patrol agents referred an intercity bus to secondary inspection. During the secondary inspection a Canine Detection team alerted to the upper center portion of the bus. An interior canine sniff was then performed and the canine alerted to two carry-on bags. A search of the two bags revealed three packages of heroin wrapped in clear tape.
One of the passengers, a 25-year-old woman, admitted to being the owner of the two bags. The woman voluntarily stated that she also had a small amount of “meth” in one of her bags.
The heroin had a combined weight of approximately seven pounds with an estimated street value of $63,360. The methamphetamine weighed approximately three grams and has an estimated street value of $227.00.
The woman, a citizen of the United States, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
The El Centro Sector’s Community Awareness Campaign is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness on the indicators of crime and other threats. We encourage public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play a key role in keeping our country safe. Please report any suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at 1-800-901-2003.