CALEXICO, Calif (KGTV) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than half a million dollars worth of fentanyl at the Calexico Port of Entry earlier this month, the agency said.
Authorities discovered the drugs inside a 2014 Ford sedan driven by a 28-year-old man on June 6 just before 10 a.m.
According to CBP, the man tried to enter the U.S. when he was referred to a further inspection point.
“The vehicle went through a machine, similar to x-ray, that revealed anomalies in the gas tank area of the vehicle. The driver was removed from the vehicle and escorted to a secure area. A CBP human and narcotic detector dog screened the vehicle and alerted CBP officers to the presence of narcotics,” the agency said.
During the inspection, officers discovered 43 packages hidden in the gas tank. The packages contained blue pills that tested positive for fentanyl. The drugs weighed about 55 pounds and have an estimated street value of $658,200, the agency reported.
The driver was arrested for narcotic smuggling and was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations before being booked into the El Centro Detention Facility.
