U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the San Ysidro Port of Entry recently seized more than $3.2 million in illicit narcotics during a single traffic stop.
The incident began as officers encountered a 50-year old male Mexican citizen, who was also a B1/B2 Visa holder, driving a commercial bus that was awaiting inspection at the port. After a narcotics-detecting canine unit alerted officers to possible suspicious activity within the vehicle, the man was referred for a more thorough secondary inspection.
Utilizing a non-intrusive imaging system, the officers noticed abnormalities emanating from within the vehicle’s gas tank. From there, officers removed 48 packages of cocaine, which weighed more than 200 pounds and carried an estimated street value of $3 million. Additionally, 50 packages of methamphetamine were also pulled from the tank, which weighed more than 25 pounds and carried an estimated street value of $182,000.
“CBP officers remain vigilant and committed to halting the drug trafficking originations attempts to smuggle narcotics into the U.S.” Director of Field Operations for San Diego CBP Pete Flores said. “CBP’s seizure of these narcotics sends a strong message that our efforts to stop illegal narcotics from entering our country will never falter.”
CBP subsequently placed an immigration hold on the individual so he could be returned to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security after the judicial process concluded. Both the vehicle and narcotics were seized by CBP.