El Centro Border Patrol agents recently found drugs with a street value of over $100,000 within the engine of a vehicle. This seizure adds to the ongoing battle against drug trafficking across US borders.
"When vehicle engines tell a different story! ELC Agents tore apart an engine manifold after being alerted by their #K9 partner & found 3 packages wrapped in aluminum foil, later revealing: 2lbs of meth ($2k) 1.25kgs of Black Tar Heroin ($26k), & 3.62kgs of cocaine ($87k).", said Gregory K. Bovino.
In providing further context to the operations of El Centro Sector Border Patrol, This is not the first time the sector has seized money. Earlier this year, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents seized over $746,000 and arrested a United States citizen. According to a news release, a 29-year-old woman approached the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint in an SUV where an agent was alarmed at her off behavior. The agent referred the vehicle to secondary inspection where a Border Patrol K-9 detection team found a scent from the back of the SUV.
Shifting focus to specifics on how these border patrol activities are carried out, Among the scents that Border Patrol K-9s are coached to detect is that of guns, humans being smuggled, controlled substances and money, according to the media release. Upon inspection of the vehicle, agents found a large black duffle bag with a substantial sum of money.
Further elaborating on actions taken post-discovery, According to the news release, the woman was arrested and held at the checkpoint for further investigation. It was determined that she was concealing $746,050, which is agents suspect were funds tied to illegal activities. The woman, money and SUV were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.
Turning the spotlight on some words from Gregory K. Bovino in light of these operations, "Another noteworthy seizure by Indio Station agents," said Bovino in a provided statement. "The El Centro Sector is a very unfavorable environment for drug traffickers, and any criminals for that matter, and I’d advise potential law breakers to give our professional agents a wide berth."
To contextualize this further with national figures, This year customs agents across the country have seized over $53 million, along with 27,000 pounds fentanyl, 140,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 81,100 pounds of cocaine, 150,000 pounds of marijuana, according to seizure statistics on the CBP website.
