Border Patrol Agents Arrest Woman with Cocaine Near I-15 Checkpoint

(Tuesday, July 23, 2013)

San Diego — U.S. Border Patrol agents intercepted a cocaine smuggling attempt near the Murrieta checkpoint last Wednesday.
At approximately 6 p.m., agents encountered and stopped a suspicious 29-year-old female U.S. citizen driving a 2003 Jaguar X-Type near Interstate 15. A Border Patrol K-9 team performed a cursory inspection of the vehicle resulting in a positive alert. The woman admitted that she was getting paid to deliver a package with unknown contents. Agents searched the vehicle and discovered 15 bricks of cocaine hidden in a cardboard box inside the trunk. The bundles weighed 37.37 pounds and had an estimated street value of $411,070.

The suspected smuggler was turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for state prosecution. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.

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.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/07232013_5.xml