El Centro CBP agents arrest drug smugglers, convicted sex offender

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents assigned to the El Centro Sector in California recently apprehended two individuals suspected of drug smuggling and a previously-deported sex offender later that same day.

The first incident began as agents assigned to the Highway 86 checkpoint referred a 2007 Jeep Commander SUV for a secondary inspection. The vehicle was being driven by a 37-year old Mexican national who was accompanied by his wife a five-year-old son.

During routine questioning, a narcotics-detecting canine unit alerted the officers to suspicious activity in the Jeep’s undercarriage. The officers then conducted a thorough search of the vehicle and discovered that the front driver seat had been tampered with. After removing parts of the seat, the agents discovered six bundles of alleged narcotics wrapped in clear cellophane.

The packages tested positive for properties of cocaine and weighed a combined 14.55 pounds. The driver, woman and child were all turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for processing.

A few hours later, agents assigned to the El Centro Station apprehended three men who allegedly entered the country illegally near Ocotillo. After being taken to the station for processing, a records check revealed one of the men had been previously convicted of second degree sexual assault in Colorado and served 18 months in prison.

The 53-year old Mexican citizen will be criminally prosecuted for re-entry after removal as a convicted sex offender while the other two men will be processed for illegal entry.

“Border Patrol agents work tirelessly to ensure our community’s safety by preventing dangerous drugs and people from entering the country illegally,” El Centro Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim said.