YUMA, Ariz. – Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents from Wellton Station working at the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 8 seized narcotics in an attempted drug smuggling event Saturday afternoon.
At approximately 1 p.m., a U.S. Border Patrol canine alerted to a taxicab with a male driver and a single male passenger 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 a bicycle that contained blue pills within the frame. The blue pills tested positive for the characteristics of fentanyl. The suspected fentanyl weighed approximately 2.2 pounds, and if determined to be fentanyl, the pills would have an estimated wholesale street value of approximately $32,000.
The taxicab driver was released along with his vehicle. The passenger, a 29-year-old United States citizen, was arrested on drug smuggling charges. The suspected narcotics were seized.
Drug smugglers continue to attempt to transport drugs concealed within common items. 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.