SAN CLEMENTE (KGTV)- Two vehicles and two separate stops led to the discovery of nearly $10 million worth of cocaine at the San Clemente Border Patrol checkpoint.
Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector seized more than 1,400 pounds of cocaine on Oct. 25 along the I-5 corridor. Agents said the back-to-back stops happened when two vans were flagged just three minutes apart, and that suspicious behavior first caught their attention, including one driver who tried to reverse out of the checkpoint.
A Border Patrol canine searched the outside of the vehicles and gave a positive alert, prompting a closer look.
"They had a canine search the vehicle, the outside of the vehicle. It resulted in a positive alert. After that alert, the agents were able to search the vehicle and encountered 550 packages, concealed packages in the vehicle," San Diego Sector Border Patrol Agent Erick Cortez said.
Agents found the packages hidden in plastic bags. "All the packages were in the back of those vehicles and just plastic bags," Cortez said.
The nearly $10 million worth of cocaine puts the checkpoint on track for a record-breaking year of drug seizures.
"Last year, FY 2026, San Diego sector encountered about 2400 pounds of cocaine. This seizure alone is half of that of the last year. So if we continue on the same pace, we're gonna have a record year of narcotic interdictions," Cortez said.
Border Patrol said illegal border crossings in the San Diego Sector are at a historic low, which it said adds to its success.
"Now that we're not dealing with the increased traffic at the border, we're able to refocus resources up to the checkpoints and have those checkpoints open more often," Cortez said.
Border Patrol said both men were arrested. Their identities have not been released, but agents said both were U.S. citizens.
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