Border Patrol agents thwart suspected attempt to smuggle 93 pounds of fentanyl
Release Date Fri, 05/17/2024
INDIO, Calif., - Border Patrol agents assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector arrested a woman accused of smuggling approximately 93 pounds of fentanyl pills Tuesday afternoon.
On May 14, at 10:50 a.m., Border Patrol agents operating in fully marked Border Patrol vehicles observed a suspicious blue sedan on Interstate 10. Agents followed the sedan westbound and conducted a vehicle stop near the westbound off-ramp to Golf Center Parkway. A female driver and her teenage son were the sole occupants of the vehicle. A canine detection team trained to detect concealed persons and narcotics arrived on scene and conducted an open-air sniff of the sedan’s exterior. An initial search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of a single blue pill. The pill possessed characteristics similar to those of illicit fentanyl pills. Agents proceeded to transport the vehicle to a nearby Border Patrol station for further inspection.
At the station, agents observed suspicious tool markings on the bolts holding the vehicle’s seats in place. The seats were removed, and several large bags were discovered in a non-factory compartment underneath. The bags contained tens of thousands of blue pills like the pill discovered earlier. A sample of the pills tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. The total weight of the fentanyl pills was 93.3 pounds.
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/border-patrol-agents-thwart-suspected-attempt-smuggle-93-pounds
