Thread: 4 More Drug Seizures at Calexico Port of Entry

CBP News Release

CBP Officers at Calexico Downtown Port of Entry Seize Narcotics Worth More Than $1 Million

(Friday, September 12, 2008)
contacts for this news release

Calexico, Calif. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico Downtown port of entry foiled four narcotic smuggling attempts worth over a million dollars, officials announced today.

The interceptions come on the heel of three other major narcotics seizures that occurred earlier in the week.

The most recent seizure occurred at about 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 11, when a 29-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a gold 2003 Honda Accord with Baja California plates was escorted to the secondary examination area after a detector dog alerted to the vehicle during a pre-primary enforcement operation.

At the examination area, an intensive inspection of the vehicle led officers to the discovery of 12 wrapped packages of methamphetamines concealed within the dashboard. The total weight of the narcotics is 11 pounds with a street value of over $ 100,000.

The driver, a Mexicali resident, was arrested for the illegal importation of narcotics. The narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

The second seizure occurred 45 minutes earlier that day when a red 2007 GMC Pick-up truck with California plates was escorted to the secondary examination area after a detector dog alerted to the vehicle during a second pre-primary enforcement operation.

At secondary, an intensive examination of the vehicle led officers to the discovery of 32 wrapped packages of methamphetamines concealed between the floor and dashboard area of the pick-up truck. The total weight of the narcotics is 45 pounds with an estimated street value of over $ 400,000.

The driver, a 27-year-old male U.S. citizen and Mexicali resident, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling. Both the narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

The third interception occurred at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10, when a grey 1999 Buick Century with Baja California plates was referred to the secondary examination area after a detector dog alerted to the vehicle during a pre-primary enforcement operation.

At the secondary examination area, further inspection of the vehicle led CBP officers to the discovery of 15 wrapped packages of cocaine located in a non-factory compartment within the spare tire wheel well inside the vehicle’s trunk. The total weight of the narcotic is 40 pounds with a street value of over $ 300,000.

The driver, a 31-year-old Mexican citizen and Mexicali resident, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling. Both the narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

The fourth seizure occurred 24 hours earlier, when a 39-year-old Mexican citizen driving a green 1992 Toyota Camry was referred to the secondary examination area after the primary officer noticed signs of nervousness being displayed from the driver.

At secondary, a positive alert from a detector dog led officers to the discovery of 13 wrapped packages of methamphetamine concealed within the center console and floor board of the vehicle. The total weight of the narcotics was 19 pounds with a street value of over 200,000.

The driver, a Mexicali resident, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling. The narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

The three narcotic smuggling attempts that were intercepted earlier this week to include the four recent seizures bring the port’s totals for this week to 342 pounds of narcotics with a street value total of approximately $3 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release

John M. Campos
Phone: (760) 768-2625 or
(760) 802-6488

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/new ... 2008_5.xml

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