Husband, Wife Caught Smuggling Drugs With Children near El Centro

A husband and wife were arrested Saturday after they were caught trying to smuggle drugs with their three children near El Centro, border authorities said.

The incident happened at 2 p.m. when El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to Highway 86 encountered the family at a checkpoint.

The 34-year-old driver and his wife, 32, were driving a 2014 Jeep Cherokee with their three minor children in the back.

A Border Patrol K-9 sniffed out the drugs and alerted officials, who then referred the driver to a secondary checkpoint for further examination.

Officials found 69 bundles of marijuana wrapped in tape in the back of their car. The marijuana was worth an estimated $95,580 in street value and weighed 159.3 pounds.

The parents, both U.S. citizens, were turned over to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), along with their car and the narcotics, as they continue the investigation. The children are with Child Protective Services.

There is no word on what charges the parents may face.

Contact Us