CBP seize almost $2.9M in cocaine and meth
Agents working at the Calexico port of entry seized more than 370 pounds of hard narcotics valued at almost $2.9 million on Saturday, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
The first incident happened around 1 p.m. when CBP officers encountered a 44-year-old Mexican citizen hauling a manifested shipment of steel cable.
The officer referred both the driver and the commodity for an intensive examination.
While scanning the truck and trailer through the port’s X-ray imaging system, CBP officers identified an anomaly within the shipment and sent the conveyance to unload the shipment onto the dock for inspection.
CBP said they continued their search, and inside one of the five spools, officers discovered 122 wrapped-packages of cocaine.
The second incident occurred when CBP officers encountered a 28-year-old man driving a Dodge Journey SUV later referred for further inspection. CBP officers scanned the vehicle and discovered 68 wrapped-packages of methamphetamine loaded inside a hidden compartment.
A total of 50 pounds of narcotics was extracted from the firewall, with an approximate street value of $80,000.
Both drivers in these incidents were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigation and were later transported to the Imperial County Jail to await arraignment.
