On December 26, officials in San Diego County announced that law enforcement authorities had recently arrested a male “truck” driver near the US-Mexico border, with nine undocumented immigrants found in the back of his vehicle.
According to an official statement, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the Campo Station discovered a suspicious white truck heading towards Tierra Del Sol Road near Highway 94 on December 17. The truck’s markings and window coverings were different from those of a legitimate delivery vehicle. As of the time of reporting, CBP had not responded to requests for comment.
Agents stopped the truck and found nine individuals lying in the back seat and on the floor, none of whom could provide legal documents to enter the US. The driver and the nine passengers were arrested and taken to a nearby border patrol station. The driver, a US citizen, is currently facing federal charges, and the truck has been seized.
San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel said, “This incident serves as a clear reminder that smuggling groups will go to great lengths to engage in illegal activities. Border Patrol will continue to remain vigilant, investigate, and combat criminal activities in the San Diego area.”
McGurk-Daniel also mentioned another recent case. On December 5, CBP at the Border Patrol Checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley stopped a sedan and signaled the driver for a secondary inspection, but the driver fled westbound on I-8.
After a brief pursuit, the sedan lost control and crashed, with no involvement of other vehicles. The driver and a passenger attempted to escape but were apprehended by Border Patrol agents. Subsequently, agents found eight plastic-wrapped packages weighing a total of 4.73 pounds in the vehicle, which tested positive for fentanyl.
The two suspects were taken to the hospital, and the case was handed over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with the Border Patrol seizing the sedan. The driver and passenger face federal charges.
McGurk-Daniel emphasized that this was another example of the dangers of evading law enforcement. “These suspected drug smugglers not only endanger their own safety but also jeopardize the safety of other drivers on the road.”
On November 27, Border Patrol agents at the San Clemente Station intercepted a large quantity of drugs on Highway 5.
During the interception of a small sedan, a K-9 unit issued an alert, suspecting the presence of drugs in the vehicle. Agents found plastic-wrapped packages in a box in the sedan’s trunk. CBP officers stated that the drugs, the vehicle, and the male driver (a Mexican citizen) were taken to a nearby Border Patrol station.
At the station, agents discovered 25 packages wrapped in cellophane containing a total of 68.45 pounds of cocaine. The driver and the cocaine were handed over to the DEA for federal prosecution, and the vehicle was seized by Border Patrol.
On the morning of November 24, CBP officials intercepted an SUV at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, about 20 miles from downtown San Diego. The driver, a 31-year-old man, was applying to enter the US from Mexico.
A K-9 unit alerted to the possible presence of drugs in the SUV, prompting a secondary inspection that revealed over 215 pounds of fentanyl pills in the rear side panels, spare tire, and doors of the vehicle, divided into 30 packages. Port Director Rosa Hernandez stated that fentanyl is a highly lethal drug that continues to plague the southern US border. The Otay Mesa port is located 10 miles east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego County.
Hernandez said, “I am immensely proud of our officers who bravely confront this threat and are seizing these deadly drugs every day.”