Smuggler found with $78k worth of cocaine at Highway 86 checkpoint
A 25-year-old Mexican citizen was arrested after Border Patrol agents allegedly found $78,000 worth of cocaine hidden in their vehicle.
The arrest happened Wednesday at around 7:30 p.m. at the Highway 86 checkpoint in Borrego Springs, near the Salton Sea.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the driver arrived at the checkpoint in a Silver Sedan. Agents questioned the driver and requested consent to search the trunk. Inside the trunk, agents observed a plastic grocery bag containing three cellophane-wrapped packages. Agents tested the contents of the packages and confirmed the discovered substances as cocaine.
The total weight of the cocaine was 7.16 pounds with an estimated value of $78,000.00, the agency noted.
The driver and the narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing and investigation. The U.S. Border Patrol seized the silver sedan.
