San Diego Border Patrol agents apprehended two convicted felons found in possession of a loaded firearm, Chief Patrol Agent Patricia D. McGurk-Daniel announced on X.
"2 convicted felons were encountered by agents near Escondido on 12/21. They had a loaded gun in their possession. 1 was previously convicted of murder. The men were turned over to @SDSheriff. Our agents work hard every day to keep our communities safe," McGurk-Daniel said in her Tweet.
The suspects were turned over to the San Diego Sheriff's department. The arrests are part of an ongoing effort by both agencies to keep communities free of crimes stemming from illegal border crossings.
According to a Nov. 24 news release, San Diego Sector Border Patrol seized over $281,940 worth of methamphetamine during a vehicle stop on Interstate 8 where agents conducted a traffic stop near the Buckman Springs exit and discovered four large bags suspected to contain narcotics in the bed of the pickup truck. A Border Patrol K-9 team was called, which confirmed the presence of drugs.
The CBP media release detailed that the motorist and drugs were handed over to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office for further investigation and processing, while the vehicle was seized by Border Patrol.
McGurk-Daniel emphasized, "Our agents will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our communities are safe and that these dangerous drugs stay off our streets."
The drug seizure is part of Operation Apollo, a regional initiative involving federal, state and local agencies working together to combat illicit synthetic narcotics trafficking. According to the CBP news release, Operation Apollo resulted in the confiscation of 1,800 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,100 pounds of cocaine, 111 pounds of heroin and 1,285 pounds of fentanyl in the San Diego area during fiscal year 2023.
