Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. U.S. Citizen Arrested Attempting to Smuggle Heroin, Meth & Fentanyl Through the Highway 86 Checkpoint

U.S. Citizen Arrested Attempting to Smuggle Heroin, Meth & Fentanyl Through the Highway 86 Checkpoint

Release Date
Tue, 03/22/2022

SALTON CITY, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a United States citizen attempting to smuggle narcotics through an immigration checkpoint Friday morning. 

At approximately 9:10 a.m., a black Mercedes Benz C-Class approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. The agent inspecting vehicles in the primary lanes referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.

A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the vehicle. Agents inspected the interior of the vehicle and discovered a green pouch concealed in the dashboard area. An in-depth inspection of the pouch revealed three bundles of narcotics. One bundle contained a brown tar-like substance that tested positive for heroin, the second bundle, a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, and the third bundle containing blue pills with “M30” markings on them that tested positive for fentanyl.

The 41-year-old male driver was in possession of 16.9 grams of heroin with an estimated street value of $1,686, 8.9 grams of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $354.80 and 24.99 grams of fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $3748.50.

The subject, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection. For all news, information, and updates follow us on Twitter @CBPElCentro, @USBPChiefELC and Instagram.
 

Last Modified: Oct 27, 2023