‘Trifecta’ of narcotics worth $700,000 seized near I-15 border checkpoint
Officials with the U.S. Border Patrol seized what they called a “trifecta” of narcotics worth more than $700,000 after stopping a driver near a checkpoint in Temecula.
Agents pulled over the 39-year-old man, who was driving a 2004 Nissan Maxima, on Interstate 15 on Tuesday and conducted a search using a dog who alerted to the presence of narcotics, the Border Patrol said in a statement.
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A search of the car turned up 34 packages of drugs that were hidden in secret compartments constructed underneath the floor boards.
The bundles contained 4.25 pounds of brown heroin, 11.73 pounds of white heroin, 7.21 pounds of cocaine, and 32.21 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $717,220, authorities said.
The driver was arrested, and his car was seized. The drugs were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Border Patrol said that agents in the San Diego sector have seized almost 600 pounds of cocaine, 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine and 153 pounds of heroin since October 2015.
“Without a doubt, this seizure was a significant blow to the criminal organization that was accountable for the narcotics,” chief patrol agent Richard Barlow said. “This seizure could not have taken place without the vigilance demonstrated by the involved agents.”
Baker writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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