Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate 5 checkpoint in San Clemente arrested a man Thursday night who had more than eight pounds of China White heroin hidden inside the battery of his car.
Agents said a 30-year-old Mexican national driving a 2002 Dodge Intrepid “piggy-backed” to the car in front of him as it cleared inspection, then accelerated and attempted to bypass the inspecting agent. Agents stopped the man and referred him for a secondary inspection.
In secondary inspection, the man showed agents his identification and told them he was in route to Los Angeles to visit relatives and to shop. When a routine K-9 sniff resulted in a positive alert, agents searched the car, and noticed fresh glue on the battery casing.
Agents disconnected the battery, opened the top, and discovered six bundles of China White heroin. The heroin weighed 8.55 pounds and has an estimated street value of $166,840.
The suspected smuggler and narcotics were taken into custody and subsequently turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The vehicle was seized by the Border Patrol.
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