Last week at the Calexico West Port of Entry, a blue sedan drove up from Mexico and into the careful scrutiny of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. Inside the vehicle, a 20-year-old man sat unaware that his attempt at smuggling a cache of various drugs would soon unravel.
The initial inspection was just the beginning as the officers decided to conduct a more in-depth examination of the car, but even before the technology confirmed their hunches it was the keen nose of a CBP K-9 that signaled trouble beneath the blue sedan’s floor. Officers discovered a hidden compartment stuffed with an assortment of narcotics that included not just one, but four different types of drugs, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release.
With the help of non-intrusive inspection technology, anomalies were detected, and a total of 36 packages were retrieved, nestled clandestinely within the vehicle’s floor. After testing, it was determined that this mixed load concealed Fentanyl, Cocaine, Heroin, and Methamphetamine, weighing in at a total of 47 pounds. "Smugglers are continuously devising intricate plans to avoid detection, yet our CBP officers have a remarkable ability for adjusting, predicting, and ultimately exposing even the most sophisticated strategies," Roque Caza, the Port Director for the Area Port of Calexico, was quoted in the same press release.
The 20-year-old driver found his journey cut short as he was promptly arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.
Homeland Security Investigations is continuing to dig into the case, keeping in step with CBP's dedicated mission to keep these drugs off our streets and out of our communities.
