Pounds of drugs seized over Labor Day weekend

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at local ports of entry intercepted two significant narcotic smuggling attempts over the Labor Day weekend, stated a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release.

Fifty-three pounds of cocaine were seized at the Andrade port of entry and 49 pounds of methamphetamine at the Calexico West Port of Entry, stated the press release.

The first seizure occurred on Saturday at 3:28 p.m. at the Andrade Port of Entry when a CBP canine team encountered a 66-year old man driving a white Ford F-150 pick-up truck waiting in line for inspection.

The detector dog screened the truck and alerted to the spare tire.

CBP officers searched the truck and extracted 20 wrapped packages hidden inside the spare tire.

The packages field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed a total of 53 pounds, with a street value of approximately $672,000, stated the press release.

The second seizure occurred Monday at about 9:30 p.m., at the downtown Port of Entry when a CBP officer encountered a 32-year old male Mexican citizen driving a Gray Nissan Versa.

The officer referred the driver and vehicle for a more indepth examination.

During the inspection, officers utilized the port’s imaging system along with a canine team and discovered 17 wrapped packages concealed inside a non-factory compartment within the vehicle’s floor.

The packages field-tested positive for methamphetamine. The total weight of the narcotic was 49 pounds with a street value of approximately $69,000, the press release stated.

Both drivers, residents of California, were arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempts and were turned over to the custody of HSI agents for further processing. CBP seized the narcotics and vehicles.