U.S. Border Patrol agents seized a haul of drugs worth more than a half-million dollars in San Diego’s North County when they stopped a driver who had stashed bundles of cocaine and fentanyl in the seats of his car.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said a combined 46.7 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl were found in this bust alone. The fentanyl made up 5.3 pounds of that total; officials said that amount is “equal to 1,200,000 lethal doses” of the drug.
The bust happened at around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on northbound Interstate 15 in Escondido. CBP officials said a Border Patrol agent and his K9 partner stopped a 2007 Toyota Camry on the freeway for inspection.
During the stop, the K9 searched the exterior of the Camry and alerted the agent to the car. When the agent searched inside, the agent found aftermarket compartments inside the front and rear seats.
Inside those compartments, there were 18 foil-wrapped packages that held 41.4 pounds of cocaine and 5.3 pounds of fentanyl.
The CBP said the drugs had an estimated street value of $558,000.
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The driver – identified by officials as a 49-year-old Mexican citizen with a B1/B2 Visa, was arrested on suspicion of smuggling the drugs. He was turned over to the DEA.
No further details were released.
