Border officers in San Diego hit pay dirt early this week, snagging a combined stash of drugs worth north of $40,000 hidden in the guts of two vehicles. In the pre-dawn hours at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers trained their eyes on the underbellies of passing cars, looking for the tell-tale signs of smuggling attempts.
The first bust happened at around 5:15 a.m. when a 42-year-old man tried to sneak through in his silver ride via the vehicle SENTRI lane. A vigilant CBP officer spied several suspicious black, square-shaped packages rigged to the car's undercarriage. The officer quickly called for backup and the driver and his silver car were pulled aside to confirm the hunch. The result was the discovery of substances that tested positive for meth, to an estimated street value of $11,565, according to a press release by the CBP.
Not even three hours later, another man, 51, was apprehended. His black SUV also raised eyebrows at the SENTRI lane checkpoint. After a thorough search, officers unearthed a bounty of fentanyl pills cleverly stashed away. This second find tipped the scales to a market value close to $29,000.
The combined efforts of the border watchdogs on this fine Monday unearthed contraband with a total street price tag hitting the $40,565 mark- a sizable victory by any measure. The two men caught in the act were swiftly arrested, and their dastardly plans thoroughly foiled. As the CBP statement confirmed, HSI took it from there, with the culprits and their altered vehicles now in the hands of Homeland Security Investigations.
