The Border Patrol said Friday its agents stopped a car on Interstate 15 carrying more than 32 pounds of China White heroin and arrested the driver.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning near Temecula. Agents patrolling the highway stopped a 2002 Volkswagen Passat headed north and questioned the 21-year-old driver, an American citizen.
While the car was stopped, a drug-sniffing dog alerted the agents, who then asked and received permission to search the vehicle at the nearby checkpoint. Agents discovered an after-market compartment built into the car’s exhaust tunnel. When they removed the access cover, they found 24 bundles of China White heroin wrapped in cellophane.
The heroin weighed 32.63 pounds and has an estimated street value of $636,400.
Agents arrested the man for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. He was turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff. The vehicle was seized by the Border Patrol.
