Border Patrol arrests woman on bus with backpack full of cocaine

An 18-year-old woman was arrested by Border Patrol agents at the Highway 86 checkpoint on Thursday afternoon when a canine alerted them to a commercial bus at about 4:30 p.m.

Agents said the woman was a passenger on the bus. During the secondary inspection a canine sniffed the luggage department and pointed out a black backpack that was removed by agents. They determined the backpack belonged to the young woman.

After she gave agents consent to search the bag, they found four plastic-wrapped packages containing 10.71 pounds of cocaine. The drugs are worth an estimated $160,650 on the street, agents said in the release.

“Public conveyances and public transportation has long been used as a method of trying to smuggle narcotics and other contraband around the country,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim. “We receive a good level of cooperation from common carries which leads to safer traveling conditions for the public and a greater level of security for the nation.”

The woman is a United States citizen. She and the cocaine are now in the hands of the Drug Enforcement Agency where the suspected drug smuggling case continues to be investigated.

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