INDIO, Calif.,- Border Patrol agents assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol El Centro Sector arrested a Mexican national suspected of smuggling cocaine on Monday afternoon.
On May 13, at 2:50 p.m., a white sedan approached the U.S. Border Patrol Highway 86 immigration checkpoint. At primary inspection, a canine detection team alerted to the presence of possible concealed people or narcotics. The vehicle was directed to the secondary inspection area for further investigation.
During the secondary inspection, the driver claimed to have marijuana and a firearm in his backpack. A search of the backpack confirmed the claims of the driver. The bag was removed from the vehicle and the canine team conducted a second sweep. The canine team alerted agents to the floorboards of the vehicle which appeared to have been tampered with. A cursory search of the floorboards revealed an aftermarket compartment that contained 25 packages wrapped in brown paper consistent with the packaging of illegal narcotics. A sample was taken from one of the packages and tested positive for the presence of cocaine. In total, 67 pounds of cocaine were removed from the vehicle.
The driver, firearm and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing and investigation.
“Cocaine, firearms, and foreign smugglers; all basic ingredients in the El Centro Sector’s battle to thwart bad people and stop bad things from killing and maiming citizens of our exceptional Nation”, said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino. “I applaud Indio Station agents in locating this suspected smuggler amongst the thousands of people traveling legitimately through the checkpoint every day. A very impressive arrest.”
These seizures are the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on October 26, 2023 in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.