Four big drug seizures were reported by federal officers.
On Wednesday, May 15, Border Patrol agents arrested a woman transporting 29 pounds of fentanyl. Agents participating in operation Apollo stopped the woman's SUV on Interstate 10. A records check showed the woman was an undocumented immigrant. Two children with her are U. S. citizens. A canine team alerted to the SUV and a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of several packages of blue pills marked M-30. The pills tested positive as fentanyl with a total weight of 29 pounds. The woman driver was arrested and turned over to Riverside County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Bureau. The children were turned over to their father.
On May 16, Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector arrested three people and seized approximately 51 pounds of methamphetamine. The incident occurred in the area of Dillon Road and Interstate 10. Two vehicles were observed and after questioning, it was determined that one driver had an outstanding warrant out of Sacramento. The driver of the other vehicle was arrested after the methamphetamine was found in the car. A passenger in that vehicle was also found to have an active warrant and was turned over to U.S. Marshalls.
On Friday, a tractor trailer was stopped at the Otay mesa port of entry. A U. S. Customs and Border Protection canine team alerted to the big rig and a search led to the discovery of over 400 pounds of cocaine concealed in the fuel tanks. The driver, a valid border crossing card holder, was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.
A load manifested as squash turned out to hold over $18 million worth of methamphetamine. On Monday, May 20, a big rig at the Otay Mesa port was referred to secondary inspection where scanning technology showed irregularities in the load. A search led to over 1,400 packages of meth hidden in the squash. The methamphetamine weighed nearly 11,500 pounds and has a street value of over $18 million.
All four seizures were part of Operation Apollo.
