CAMPO, Calif. — U.S. Border Patrol agents thwarted a substantial smuggling attempt early Monday morning, intercepting roughly 250 pounds of fentanyl near Campo, California.
According to a news release, agents assigned to the Campo Border Patrol Station conducted a vehicle stop on a black 2015 GMC truck on eastbound Interstate 8 near the Golden Acorn Casino.
After a Border Patrol K-9 alerted fellow officers to the suspected presence of narcotics, agents discovered multiple bundles concealed within the vehicle’s spare tire and gas tank. Further investigation confirmed that the bundles contained a combined 250 pounds of pills that tested positive for fentanyl.
The estimated street value of the seizure totaled nearly $3.7 million, the news release stated.
“Our agents prevented these dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities,” Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a prepared statement, adding, “I am proud to say that our Border Patrol agents here in San Diego Sector are responsible for over 50% of all the fentanyl seized by the U.S. Border Patrol this fiscal year.”
Both the drugs and the truck’s driver, a U.S. citizen, were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, while the vehicle was seized by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
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