CBP officers seize heroin concealed under motorcycle gas tank

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Calexico downtown port of entry seized a total of approximately nine pounds of heroin during two separate incidents last week.

The first incident occurred last Wednesday when officers encountered a 20-year-old male U.S. citizen at the port’s pedestrian inspection facility. The suspect, who was carrying a large suitcase and appeared to be nervous, was flagged by officers for further inspection. After a thorough investigation, the officers were able to uncover two packages hidden in the lining of the suitcase containing approximately five pounds of heroin, worth approximately $45,000 on the street.

The second incident occurred the following day when a 23-year-old-male Mexican citizen arrived at the port riding a 2002 Honda CBR600 motorcycle. Upon his arrival, officers flagged the man and his bike for further inspection. Using the port’s imaging system, officers were able to detect anomalies hidden within the gas tank’s housing. More than four pounds of heroin worth approximately $38,000 on the street was recovered from the motorcycle in two separate packages.

“The tenacity and experience of our frontline officers directly resulted in the seizures of an extremely dangerous drug,” David Salazar, acting port director for the Calexico ports of entry, said. “These arrests illustrate how CBP officers blend their training and skills with non-intrusive inspection technologies to successfully intercept narcotics before they enter our communities.”

Both suspects were given over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further processing. The narcotics were seized by CBP agents.