Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 8 checkpoint in Campo arrested two U.S. citizens who were attempting to smuggle nearly $160,000 in heroin and fentanyl hidden inside a fake car battery.
At approximately 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a grey Nissan Sentra was stopped for inspection and a drug-sniffing dog indicated the presence of drugs.
Agents discovered seven suspicious packages hidden inside the fake battery. Four packages contained a total of 7.6 pounds of black tar heroin valued at $79,580. The remaining three packages contained 6.57 pounds of fentanyl valued at $78,970.
The driver, a 41-year-old man, and his 26-year-old female passenger were arrested. The woman’s child, who also was in the vehicle, was turned over to a family member.
The narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the vehicle was seized by the Border Patrol.
