OTAY MESA : Dog Sniffs Out Heroin at Border

A U.S. Customs Service dog sniffed out nearly 12 pounds of heroin stuffed in the air vents and under the dashboard of a car crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Tuesday.

Alberto Cisneros Mendoza, 24, of San Jose was arrested last week by customs agents at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, officials said. If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $4 million and a 10-year mandatory sentence under the 1986 federal sentencing guidelines.

Mendoza was stopped about 8:10 p.m. Thursday as part of a routine vehicle check, officials said. A U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector at the main gate escorted the car to an inspection lot, they said, where the dog lunged toward it.

Following the dog’s scratching lead, authorities said, a customs inspector discovered and removed nine packages of brown heroin wrapped in duct tape in air vents under the Oldsmobile’s dashboard.

During the fiscal year 1992, which ended Sept. 30, 25 1/2 pounds of heroin were seized in the San Diego district’s five ports of entry: San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico and Andrade.

The heroin taken Thursday was the first of the 1993 fiscal year, and totaled 11.7 pounds, with an estimated first U.S. sale value of $561,600, officials said.