Agents Seize $8.7 Million in Cocaine, Arrest 2 Men

Border Patrol agents seized 581 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $8.7 million and arrested two illegal immigrants Thursday after a chase on California 94 near Tecate, authorities said.

A tip that a white 1989 Mercury sedan had crossed the border illegally about 1 mile east of the Tecate border crossing led to the arrests about 8:45 a.m. Agents spotted the vehicle 10 minutes later on California 94 at Lyons Valley Road, authorities said.

A chase ensued after officers tried to stop the car, authorities said. Near Sweetwater Springs Boulevard the car careened out of control and slid down an embankment, coming to rest against a chain-link fence, officials said.

The two men fled on foot. A passerby directed agents to a nearby woodshed, where the pair were hiding, authorities said.

Inside the trunk of the car, agents discovered the cocaine wrapped in 250 kilo-sized packages, officials said.

Agents said the solid steel-mat fence erected by the Border Patrol from Otay Mesa west to the beach has moved drug smugglers farther east. Marijuana seizures for the San Diego sector, for example, are up three times over last year and cocaine seizures are up tenfold.

“It was a middle-of-the-road haul in terms of amount,” one agent said. “But it was a good one. We’ve been having some problems in the East County.”

The driver of the car, who was not named, was identified as a 37-year-old resident of Tijuana. A 21-year-old Tijuana man also was arrested. They are being charged with importation of a controlled substance, authorities said.