Border Patrol agents seize 29 pounds of Fentanyl on I-10

INDIO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Indio Border Patrol agents arrested a woman driving a vehicle carrying 29 pounds of fentanyl.

On Wednesday morning, agents were on Interstate 10 near Golf Center Parkway when a white SUV passed their position and applied their brakes.

CBP said agents followed the vehicle and conducted record checks, once those checks came back, agents stopped the vehicle.

The driver stopped on the side of the Interstate and was questioned.

She claimed she and her two underage children were U.S. citizens.

However, record checks said she was an undocumented citizen present in the U.S. and that the children were both U.S. citizens.

CBP also mentioned the driver's responses were inconsistent.

A K-9 unit arrived at the scene and requested to search the vehicle. The unit then alerted to the rear seat where agents saw a sealed box containing shelves.

Agents then handled the box and felt it was heavier than it appeared.

CBP said agents opened the box which contained three black shelves and noticed the paint on them was still fresh and tacky. The shelves also had no pre-drilled holes or hardware in the box.

The driver was questioned about the shelves but she refused to give consent to open them and agents reassured her that if anything was broken, they would issue a reimbursement form to her.

CBP said agents then found a cellophane-wrapped package that had blue pills marked with M-30.

A sample was taken and tested positive for fentanyl.

CBP said the total weight of the pills was 29 pounds which is enough to wipe out a city of 6.8 million people.

The driver, an undocumented citizen, was arrested and the narcotics and vehicle were turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Bureau for investigation.

CBP also mentioned the two children were turned over to their father.