Border Patrol agents located more than $1 million worth of cocaine during a traffic stop last week near San Diego.
The first discovery took place during a traffic stop Thursday on Interstate 5 north of San Diego County. During this stop, agents found over 83 pounds of cocaine, valued at $1 million. Earlier that same day, agents located more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine during a separate traffic stop off Interstate 15 near Rainbow.
The bulk of the methamphetamine was located inside of a Mitsubishi Galant. The 23-year-old driver “hastily exited the freeway” after seeing Border Patrol agents patrolling the I-15.
“The driver of the vehicle, a 23-year-old male U.S. citizen, exited the vehicle and immediately assumed a hand-cuffing position, placing his hands behind his back,” Border Patrol spokesman Agent Angel Moreno said in a news release on Monday. “Upon questioning, the driver then freely admitted that he had an unknown quantity of narcotics inside the vehicle.”
The driver informed agents that he had additional drugs at his El Cajon home, Moreno confirmed. In total, agents found 18.3 pounds of methamphetamine in the car and a little over 3 pounds at the driver’s home.
Border Patrol agents took possession of the vehicle and turned over the driver and his 22-year-old passenger to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
That same day, agents stationed near the San Clemente Border Patrol checkpoint on I-5 saw a Ford Escape nearly colliding with other vehicles on the freeway. Agents immediately stopped the SUV and deployed a drug-sniffing dog, which uncovered 30 bundles of cocaine hidden inside a secret compartment.
