C.B.P. News Release

San Diego CBP Officers Seize Cache of Hard Narcotics

(Thursday, May 13, 2010)

San Ysidro, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man Wednesday after they found a cache of hard narcotics hidden in the vehicle he was driving. Officers discovered more than 19 pounds of cocaine, 17 pounds of methamphetamine and almost 11 pounds of heroin with a street value of $551,540 in his vehicle after he entered the San Ysidro port of entry.

At about 1 p.m., the 31-year-old U.S. citizen and resident of Tijuana, Mexico, entered the San Ysidro border station driving a 1995 Isuzu Trooper. A CBP officer referred the man and vehicle for a more intensive examination.

Officers conducted an intensive secondary inspection of the vehicle, and with the assistance of a detector dog they discovered several wrapped packages within a natural compartment underneath the rear seats. Officers subsequently extracted a total of 20 packages that included eight packages of cocaine, eight packages of methamphetamine and four packages of heroin.

The man was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center to await arraignment on federal drug smuggling charges. CBP seized the vehicle and narcotics.

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
Angelica De Cima
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (619) 652-9966 Ext: 191

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/new ... 2010_8.xml