Calexico CBP Arrests Two with Half Million in Narcotics

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Calexico, CA. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico ports of entry arrested two U.S. citizens for allegedly attempting to smuggle over a half million dollars worth of narcotics into the United States.

The first incident occurred on September 14, when a CBP officer conducting inspections of vehicles and travelers referred a 21-year-old female U.S. citizen driving a blue 2006 Ford F-150 pick-up truck for further examination.

An intensive inspection that included a canine screening led officers to the discovery of 12 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside the front frame rail of the vehicle. The weight of the narcotic was 41 pounds with a street value of approximately $369,000.

The driver, a resident of Mexicali, Baja California, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt.

The second incident occurred on September 15, when a CBP officer conducting inspections of vehicles and travelers referred a 30-year-old male U.S. citizen for further examination after detecting anomalies with the driver’s story.

An intensive examination, that included a narcotic detector dog, led to the discovery of 23 wrapped packages of methamphetamine concealed inside non-factory compartments in the rocker panels of the red Ford Mustang. The weight of the narcotic was 26 pounds with a street value of approximately $286,000.

The driver, also a resident of Mexicali, Baja California, was arrested for the narcotic smuggling attempt.

Both individuals were turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations agents and transported to the Imperial County Jail where they await arraignment. CBP seized the narcotics and vehicles involved in both failed attempts.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.