$200K in Cocaine Seized from Car with Secret Compartment

By MIRNA ALFONSO (Patch Staff)

(Photos courtesy of U.S. Border Patrol)

U.S. Border Patrol agents Tuesday arrested a man at the Interstate 5 checkpoint allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine hidden inside a compartment of his vehicle, built in after the vehicle came off the assembly line.

At about 7:15 p.m., the 28-year-old U.S. citizen arrived at the I-5 checkpoint in a 2008 Nissan Sentra. He was referred to the secondary inspection area, where a K-9 sniff of the sedan indicated there were drugs in the car, U.S. Border Patrol information officerPayam Tanaomi said.

Agents searched and discovered cellophane wrapped packages hidden inside an aftermarket compartment built into the rear speaker partition, Tanaomi reported.

Agents found six cocaine bundles nearly 16 pounds, with an estimated street value of $204,620. The man and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol, Tanomi said.

Last fiscal year the San Diego Sector seized more than 1,697 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $22 million.

To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at 619-498-9900.

OTHER PATCH HEADLINES

OC Leaders Back Off Effort to Oust Judge for Toddler Rapist Leniency

Car Wash Employee Captures Arrow-Pierced Goose that Eluded Authorities for Weeks

Sorry, Man: Lake Forest’s ‘Apologetic Bandit’ Sentenced to 5 Years

Californians Hold Optimistic View on Future of Race Relations, Survey Finds

CHP Officers Rescue Newborn, Toddler and Mother from Burning Wreckage

Firefighters Rescue Duck Family Trapped in Storm Drain

Shark Sightings Shut Down San Clemente Beach