U.S. Border Patrol agents with San Diego’s sector seized a load of different narcotics hidden inside two child booster seats near San Diego County’s northern border last week, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
On Nov. 19 at about 7 p.m., Border Patrol agents assigned to the San Clemente Border Patrol Station stopped and searched a vehicle as it was traveling north on Interstate 5 near the Basilone Road exit.
A Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the narcotics, leading them on a search of the vehicle’s rear compartment, where agents discovered 11 packages of narcotics inside two child booster seats, according to the agency.
Agents took the narcotics, the vehicle, and the driver — who they say is a Mexican national — to a Border Patrol station for further processing.
Substance testing revealed the packages contained a mix of different narcotics.
Seven packages tested positive for fentanyl, in total weighing more than 16 pounds, and valued at about $138,700, according to CBP.
Two packages came back positive for cocaine and weighing almost five pounds and valued at about $41,800.
The remaining two packages were found to be heroin, weighing just over one pound and valued at $11,400, CBP said.
The driver will be charged for the sale and importation of a controlled substance, CBP added.
“The discovery of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin hidden within child car seats is a disturbing reminder that these foreign terrorist organizations will go to great lengths to get their products into our country and our communities,” said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre.
“Our agents are confronting ruthless criminal networks every single day, and these seizures show our unwavering commitment to stopping dangerous drugs from reaching American communities,” De La Torre added.
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