More than 26 pounds of cocaine was seized in a secret compartment of a truck attempting to pass through Interstate 5 Border Patrol checkpoint near San Clemente, according to authorities.
A 49-year-old man was arrested by agents from the San Diego Sector at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday while driving a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup truck, according to a statement issued by the Border Patrol. The driver was identified only as a U.S. citizen.
The cocaine, which was discovered in 12 bundles in an after-market compartment under the center console, had an estimated street value of almost $425,000, according to the Border Patrol.
Agents were alerted to the truck by a drug-sniffing dog.
"This drug seizure not only keeps the narcotics out of our communities, thereby making them safer, but also denies the responsible transnational criminal organization any profit from their sale," Border Patrol Agent Thomas Blanks said.
The driver -- whose truck was seized -- was taken into custody by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
