The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) thwarted an attempt to smuggle 93 pounds of fentanyl in the El Centro Sector last week, according to a news release from the agency. The incident occurred in Indio, California.
The CBP detailed that agents, while in fully-marked Border Patrol vehicles, spotted a suspicious blue sedan on Interstate 10. They proceeded to stop the vehicle near the westbound off ramp to Golf Center Parkway. The vehicle was occupied by two individuals: a woman and her teenage son. A preliminary search by the canine detection team uncovered a single blue pill resembling illicit fentanyl pills, prompting the vehicle's transportation to a Border Patrol station for a more thorough inspection.
Gregory K. Bovino, chief patrol agent for the El Centro sector, praised his team's efforts saying, "Indio Station Border Patrol agents assigned to the Anti-Smuggling Unit just did what the Border Patrol has done for a century. They protected America from bad things and bad people; in this case a suspected smuggler who endangered a juvenile in a quest to spread deadly drugs into our communities." He further expressed anticipation towards working with "the excellent prosecutors at the US Attorney's Office, Central District of California and the equally adept Drug Enforcement Administration, Los Angeles Field Office to provide meaningful consequences to this suspected smuggler."
Upon inspecting the vehicle more closely, agents noticed tool marks on the bolts holding the seats together. Upon removing these seats, they discovered a hidden compartment containing tens of thousands of blue pills similar to those found earlier. These pills tested positive for fentanyl.
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has been operational since 1924 when it was officially created by the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 to secure borders between inspection stations. According to historical data available on its website, by 1925 its duties had expanded to include patrolling of seacoasts.
