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The first seizure occurred on Friday, September 10, at about 8:00 p.m. when officers with the port’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (A-TCET) escorted a 58-year-old male Mexican citizen to the secondary examination area after a narcotic detector dog alerted to the rear area of the vehicle he was driving.
An intensive inspection on the 1999 Lincoln Navigator led officers to the discovery of 45 packages of cocaine concealed inside the vehicle’s gas tank. The weight of the narcotic was 108 pounds with an estimated street value of $864,000.
The second seizure occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 11, when A-TCET officers conducting an enforcement operation escorted an 18-year-old male United States citizen to the secondary examination area after a narcotic detector dog alerted to the rear area of the pick-up truck he was driving.
During the secondary inspection, 23 packages of marijuana were discovered inside a non-factory compartment in the bed of the 1991 Chevrolet pick-up. The weight of the narcotic was 102 pounds with an approximate street value of $102,000.
The third seizure occurred about an hour later when an officer conducting a secondary inspection discovered 28 packages of marijuana concealed inside the gas tank of a 1999 Dodge Ram pick-up truck. The weight of the narcotic was 62 pounds with an estimated street value of $62,000.
The fourth seizure occurred at about 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 12, when A-TCET officers escorted two 21-year-old females to the secondary inspection area after a narcotic detector dog alerted to their 2004 Honda Element.
During the intensive examination, officers found 20 packages of cocaine concealed in the vehicle’s rear quarter panels and rear doors. The weight of the narcotic was 56 pounds with an estimated street value of $448,000.
On all four incidents, CBP officers arrested the subjects and seized the drugs and vehicles. All subjects were then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who transported them to the Imperial County Jail to await their arraignment. CBP placed immigration holds on the Mexican citizens to initiate removal from the United States at the conclusion of their criminal proceedings.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
