Border Patrol seizes cocaine and meth in drug busts

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to Highway 86 checkpoint made two drug busts on Friday at about 7:20 a.m.

A 53-year-old man and 29-year-old woman approached the checkpoint in a 2009 Saturn Outlook. A canine detection team alerted to the vehicle and agents later discovered nine packages stuffed inside a compartment within the vehicle’s frame. The contents of the packages were tested and indicated positive for characteristics of cocaine.

The total weight of the cocaine was 37 pounds with an estimated street value of $481,000.

Both suspects, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

The second incident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m., when a man driving a 2017 Hyundai Elantra with three passengers, approached the checkpoint.

A Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle and discovered that one of the male passengers had a single package strapped to his stomach during secondary inspection. The substance of the package revealed to be methamphetamine. The package had a weight of 6.3 pounds, carrying a street value of $20,790.

The driver, passenger, methamphetamine, and the car were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

The two other passengers were not associated with the incident and were released.