Calexico, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Calexico ports of entry yesterday seized $163,000 worth of narcotics in two separate incidents.
The first seizure occurred at about 10:30 a.m. at the downtown border station when officers with the port’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (A-TCET) escorted a 22-year-old male Mexican citizen to the secondary inspection area after a detector dog alerted to the 1993 Jeep Wrangler he was driving.
An intensive inspection of the Wrangler led officers to the discovery of six wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside a specially built metal compartment affixed to the undercarriage of the vehicle. Weight of the narcotic was 12 pounds with a street value of $96,000.
The driver, a resident of Ensenada, Baja California, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The second seizure occurred four hours later at the East port of entry after a CBP officer referred a
25-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a green 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee for a more in-depth investigation.
Canine screening and utilization of x-ray equipment led officers to the discovery of 28 wrapped packages of marijuana concealed inside the vehicle’s gas tank. The weight of the narcotic was 67 pounds with a street value of $67,000.
The driver, a resident of Mexicali, Baja California, was arrested and turned over to the custody of ICE agents for further processing.
CBP placed immigration holds on the Mexican citizens to initiate removal from the United States at the conclusion of their criminal proceedings. In both incidents, CBP seized the narcotics and vehicles.
