(KGTV) – Over the weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted 502 pounds of narcotics valued at more than $1.9 million at ports of entry along the California border with Mexico.
CBP officers intercepted more than 480 pounds of methamphetamine, seven pounds of cocaine, four pounds of heroin and seven pounds of fentanyl.
The narcotics were hidden in various places, including vehicles’ gas tank, car battery, and doors, as well as taped to traveler’s bodies.
RELATED: Unusual drug smuggling attempts
A couple significant apprehensions are listed below from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
On Friday, Nov. 24, at approximately 12:20 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 23-year-old male Mexican citizen and B1/B2 visa holder, driving a Chevy Colorado. A CBP officer detected inconsistencies with the paint buckets in the truck bed and referred the vehicle and driver for further examination. During the intensive inspection, officers utilized a CBP canine team and the detector dog alerted to the paint buckets. CBP officers extracted 155 pounds of liquid methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $542,500.
On Saturday, Nov. 25, at about 6:50 p.m., at the Andrade port of entry, an officer encountered a 33-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 2016 Dodge Ram truck. The CBP officer noticed anomalies in the spare tire and referred both driver and vehicle for a more in-depth examination.
CBP officers conducted an intensive search of the vehicle, which included the use of a canine team. After the canine alerted to the vehicle’s undercarriage and trunk, officers discovered 44 wrapped packages of methamphetamine, three packages of cocaine, two packages of heroin, and three packages of fentanyl concealed inside the gas tank and spare tire. The weight of the narcotics was 79 pounds of methamphetamine, seven pounds of cocaine, two pounds of heroin, and seven pounds of fentanyl with a combined estimated street value of $505,400.
The driver, a resident of Lakewood, California, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt.
In both cases, the drivers were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further processing.
