CBP Officers at Calexico, Calif. Port Seize $900,000 Worth of Cocaine in 2 Busts

Thursday, May 15, 2008

San Diego — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico, Calif. downtown port of entry foiled two cocaine smuggling attempts worth almost $900,000 and arrested two drivers earlier this week, officials announced today.

The interceptions come on the heels of three other major narcotic seizures that occurred last weekend.

The most recent interception occurred at 11 a.m. Wednesday when a 28-year-old U.S. citizen driving a 2000 Chrysler Sebring was referred to the secondary inspection area for examination.

While in secondary, a human/narcotic detector dog alerted to the rear backseat area of the vehicle. Further inspection of the backseat rest area revealed a non-factory compartment that contained 20 packages of cocaine wrapped in brown postal tape.

The packages weighed a total of 49 pounds and have a street value of approximately $400,000.

The male driver, a resident of Mexicali, was placed under arrest and released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further disposition.

The other smuggling attempt occurred at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday when a 21-year old female resident of Calexico, driving a red 2000 Chrysler 300M, was referred to the secondary inspection where a CBP officer observed a metal plate within the rocker panels of the vehicle. A detector dog alerted to this area, which contained 24 packages of cocaine wrapped in clear cellophane, aluminum and electrical tape. The weight of the packages totaled 58 pounds with a street value of approximately $470,000.

The driver, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by I.C.E agents and transported to the Imperial County jail to await arraignment for the alleged importation of narcotics.

Last weekend CBP officers seized 93 pounds of cocaine and 18 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $1 million at the downtown and east Calexico facilities.