September 23, 09

NEWS / Border Officers Find Drugs Hidden in Pick-Ups Transmission

San Ysidro — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the San Ysidro, Calif. border station discovered 18 pounds of cocaine and almost six pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the transmission of a Ford F-150 pick up truck driven by a 28-year-old male.


An officer with the port’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team targeted the vehicle for inspection when he noticed the driver was nervous as he waited in line to enter the country. When the officer found anomalies with the pick up truck he called for a detector dog to screen the vehicle. The detector dog alerted to the vehicle’s undercarriage so officers handcuffed the driver and escorted him and the vehicle for a more in-depth investigation.


Officers conducted and intensive inspection of the truck and discovered six cellophane wrapped packages of cocaine and four wrapped packages of methamphetamine hidden in the transmission. The narcotic has a street value of about $268,000.


The driver, a U.S. citizen from Hesperia, Calif., was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. CBP seized the vehicle and narcotics.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/09222009_2.xml