SAN DIEGO — Almost $6 million in narcotics were seized at San Diego port of entries last weekend in three major smuggling attempts, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
First seizure
The first seizure occurred on Friday around 10:20 a.m. when a 25-year-old woman who was in possession of a valid entry document was removed from her vehicle for further inspection. CBP said officers observed several packages concealed in her vehicle after a K-9 alerted to the trunk area.
CBP said officers scanned the vehicle utilizing the port’s imaging system, which is similar to an X-ray, and they noticed irregularities in the seats and floor. After further inspection of the vehicle, CBP said they found 33 packages of methamphetamine hidden in the seats, floor and firewall.
The total weight of the narcotics seizure was reported to be slightly more than 201 pounds. Officials did not confirm which port of entry this was at.
Second seizure
The second seizure occurred on Saturday around 6:11 a.m. at the Tecate Port of Entry when officers encountered three men applying for entry with valid legal permanent resident cards, CBP said. The occupants were aged 66, 57 and 56.
According to officials, the men were referred for further investigation and a CBP officer’s narcotics detector dog alerted to the center console. After a hands-on inspection, CBP said they discovered 80 packages containing fentanyl pills concealed in various areas of the vehicle.
The total weight of the narcotics seizure was reported to be nearly 175 pounds.
Third seizure
The third seizure occurred on Sunday around 6:50 a.m. when a vehicle and its two occupants, a 54-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man, applied for entry by presenting valid SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) cards to CBP officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, officials said. They were also referred for further inspection.
During the inspection, officials say a narcotics detector dog alerted to the presence of narcotics. Further examination of the vehicle revealed four packages of fentanyl pills and three packages of fentanyl powder, CBP said.
The total weight of the narcotics seizure was reported to be about 18 pounds.
Result
CBP said officers seized all the narcotics and involved vehicles. All occupants were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , Homeland Security Investigations for further processing.
According to CBP, the three thwarted smuggling attempts had a combined estimated street value of over $5.7 million.
“These impressive drug seizures demonstrate that drug traffickers will continue to find ways to attempt to smuggle these dangerous narcotics into our communities,” said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego. “Our frontline officers continue to maintain a robust enforcement posture and are successfully disrupting the flow of dangerous narcotics from entering our country.”