Border Patrol K-9 catches a whiff of fentanyl pills

Agents say the incident happened at Highway 111 Checkpoint

NILAND, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) caught a pair of 33-year-old American men accused of smuggling fentanyl through an immigration checkpoint Monday morning.

El Centro Sector agents say a silver 2005 Honda Civic approached the Highway 111 checkpoint at about 3:35 a.m.

In secondary inspection, a USBP K-9 sniffed something on the driver’s side window of the car.

"Agents proceeded to inspect the interior of the vehicle and discovered a clear plastic bag containing approximately 1,000 blue fentanyl pills, hidden behind the air conditioning center vents," shared USBP Public Affair Officer Anna Davalos. "The contents inside the plastic bag tested positive for fentanyl."

Davalos described the exact weight of the fentanyl as .437 pounds, valued at $6,500.

"Further inspection of the passenger revealed that he had an extensive criminal history with an active warrant out of Riverside, California for obstruction," she added. "The passenger was detained and taken into the Highway 111 checkpoint for processing."

According to Davalos, the USBP notified the Imperial County Sheriff's Office of the warrant. Deputies soon responded to pick up the passenger.

Agents turned over the driver, Honda Civic and narcotics over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.