CBP outlines foiled San Diego narcotics smuggling attempts

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials recently announced the thwarting of three recent major narcotics smuggling attempts
worth more than $5.7 million via the San Diego Field Office.

The first seizure involved a driver identified as a 25-year-old female in possession of a valid entry document being removed from the vehicle and escorted to the security office after officers observed several packages concealed in the vehicle after a K-9 alerted to the trunk area.

CBP officers scanned the vehicle utilizing the port’s imaging system and noticed anomalies in the seats and floor. Further inspection of the vehicle revealed 33 packages of methamphetamine weighing 201 pounds.

CPB noted that the second seizure occurred at the Tecate port of entry, with officers encountering three male occupants applying for entry via the primary vehicle lanes. All travelers presented their valid legal permanent resident cards when they applied for admission into the United States. According to CBP, the vehicle and its three occupants were referred for further investigation. An officer screened the vehicle with his assigned human/narcotics detector dog and notified officers of an alert to the center console.

CBP officers conducted a hands-on inspection and discovered 80 packages containing fentanyl pills concealed in the vehicle, weighing nearly 175 pounds.

The last seizure involved a vehicle and a male and female passenger at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the CBP indicated. During the inspection, a canine enforcement officer utilized his assigned human/narcotic detector dog to screen the vehicle who alerted to the presence of narcotics.

Further examination of the vehicle revealed four packages of fentanyl pills, weighing nearly 11 pounds, and three packages of fentanyl powder, weighing slightly over seven pounds.