$1.2 million worth of cocaine seized at Salton City checkpoint
Border Patrol agents arrested a 53-year-old man at 3:30 this morning after finding nearly 40 pounds of cocaine hidden inside the gas tank of his truck.
The agents searched the truck after a canine unit at the Highway 86 checkpoint alert them that the vehicle was possibly smugglingillegaldrugs. The agents moved the vehicle to a secondary search area where they discovered 15 bundles of cocaine hidden inside the truck’s gas tank.
The cocaine had a combined weight of 38.7 pounds. The agents estimated the value of the drugs at $1,238,400.
The man, a citizen of Mexico and a Lawfully Admitted Permanent Resident card holder,was arrested as the only suspect in the case.
The suspect, vehicle, and drugs were all turned over to the DEA for further investigation.
