Andrade CBP officers prevent illegal narcotics from entering country

October 25, 2010 6:24 PM
BY JAMES GILBERT - SUN STAFF WRITER

U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the U.S. Port of Entry at Andrade, Calif., seized more than 256 pounds of marijuana and 30 pounds of cocaine in two seperate drug smuggling incidents over the weekend.

The drugs, according to U. S. Customs and Border Protection, had an estimated street value of more than $359,000.

On Oct. 22, at approximately 2:37 p.m., a 34-year-old male U.S. citizen from Roll drove a white 2001 Ford Windstar minivan into the port and was referred to secondary inspection.

During that inspection, a narcotics detector dog indicated the vehicle may be carrying suspicous material. A more intensive inspection revealed a non-factory compartment in the floorboard of the vehicle concealing cocaine with an estimated street value of $242,861.

Then on Oct. 23, at approximately 5:39 p.m., a 47-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a white 1999 Ford F-350 pickup applied for admission in to the U.S. and was referred for a secondary inspection.

A more intensive inspection was conducted after a drug detection dog indicated the presence of illegal material in the vehicle. Officers found a non-factory compartment on the auxiliary fuel tank containing 33 plastic wrapped packages of marijuana with an estimated street value of $116,190.

In both incidents the narcotics and vehicles were seized by CBP and the drivers were arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for prosecution.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.

http://www.yumasun.com/news/inspection- ... value.html