U.S. Border Patrol officials on Wednesday announced the arrests of a man and woman who had bundles of fentanyl concealed inside their vehicle’s engine compartment.
The incident took place about 12:25 p.m. Tuesday when a man driving a grey Audi A4 approached the checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley.
A Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle during a pre-primary inspection, the agency said. Agents referred the vehicle to secondary inspection for further investigation.
Agents escorted the male driver and a female passenger from the vehicle and during a thorough search, discovered two wrapped packages inside a false compartment next to the vehicle’s battery.
The two packages, weighing 9.97 pounds, tested positive for fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid with an estimated street value of $113,000.
The 29-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, both U.S. citizens, along with the narcotics, were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
“During these uncertain and troubling times, our agents remain vigilant against all criminal activity,” said Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. “Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of our agents on the frontline, this dangerous drug will not reach any community in our country.”
This bust adds to more than 111 pounds of fentanyl seized by San Diego sector agents this fiscal year, which started on Oct. 1, 2019. This accounts for nearly 50 percent of all seizures of fentanyl by the U.S. Border Patrol along the southwest border.
