YUMA, Ariz. – Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents from Wellton Station working at the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 8 seized almost 5 pounds of fentanyl pills in an attempted drug smuggling event Sunday night.
nearly 5 pounds of fentanyl Sunday.
At 10 p.m., a U.S. Border Patrol canine alerted to a Chevy Malibu sedan with three male occupants attempting to travel through the checkpoint. Agents directed the vehicle to the secondary inspection area for further investigation. During their search of the vehicle, agents found four packages of blue pills that tested positive for the characteristics of fentanyl. The total weight of the packages was 4.93 pounds, with an estimated wholesale street value of approximately $71,680.
The passenger, who was determined to be responsible for the pills, also had an outstanding warrant for armed robbery. The other two occupants, one of which was the vehicle owner, were unaware of the contraband and released. The passenger, a 27-year-old U.S. citizen and Yuma resident, was charged with drug smuggling and was turned over to the Department of Public Safety for the outstanding warrant. The narcotics were seized.
Drug smugglers continue to transport concealed drugs while attempting to blend in with legitimate traffic. Operators of motor vehicles need to be cognizant of whom they are providing rides to and what they are carrying, in order to prevent unexpected consequences. Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents and canine teams continue to intercept drug smugglers attempting to transport these drugs into the interior of the United States.