Calexico Port Officers Seize 158 Pounds of Cocaine

Sunday, 13 September 2009

Calexico, California - Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico ports of entry intercepted three cocaine smuggling attempts worth more than $1.4 million, officials announced today.

The latest seizure occurred on Thursday, September 10, at about 2:30 a.m. at the Calexico downtown port when CBP officers arrested a 35-year-old male United States citizen who allegedly attempted to smuggle 82 pounds of cocaine concealed in a white 2001 Volkswagen Jetta he was driving.

The primary officer referred the driver to the secondary examination as part of a secondary enforcement operation.

Once in the secondary examination area, a CBP canine officer and his detector dog were screening the referred vehicles when it alerted to the white Volkswagen Jetta. An intensive inspection of the vehicle led officers to the discovery of 35 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed in a specially built compartment that extended from the vehicle’s rear bumper to the spare tire wheel well. The street value of the narcotics was $738,000.

The driver, a resident of Mexicali, Mexico, was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further processing for the alleged smuggling attempt.

The second seizure occurred on Wednesday, September 9, at about 1 p.m. at the Calexico East port of entry when a 38-year-old male United States citizen driving a grey 2002 Volkswagen Jetta with California plates was referred to secondary for further examination.

Once in secondary, a CBP canine officer was conducting inspections when his detector dog alerted to the grey Volkswagen Jetta. Officers immediately conducted an intensive examination on the vehicle resulting in the discovery of five wrapped packages of cocaine located in the vehicle’s center console.

The weight of the narcotics was 13 pounds with a street value of $117,000.

The driver, a resident of Bellflower, Calif., was arrested for the alleged smuggling attempt and turned over to ICE agents for further processing.

The third seizure occurred earlier in the day at about 4 a.m. at the Calexico downtown port when officers arrested a married couple, a 53-year-old male and 52-year-old female, both Mexican citizens, in silver 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with California plates.

During the primary inspection, the CBP officer observed anomalies in the vehicle’s quarter panels and referred the vehicle to the secondary examination area for further inspection.

Once in the secondary area, utilization of a density reader and detector dog led officers to the discovery of 26 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed in the vehicle’s quarter panels, 13 packages in each panel.

The weight of the narcotics was 63 pounds with a street value of $567,000.

The couple, lawful permanent residents of Long Beach, Calif., was turned over to the custody of ICE agents who then transported them to the Imperial County Jail to await their arraignment.

CBP placed an immigration hold on the married couple to initiate removal from the United States at the conclusion of their criminal proceedings.

CBP seized all the narcotics and vehicles.

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