Border agents stop woman’s attempt to smuggle 93 pounds of fentanyl, officials say – WFTV

Border Patrol agents had observed a “suspicious” blue sedan heading west on Interstate 10. They conducted a traffic stop near the westbound exit ramp of Golf Center Parkway in Indio and discovered a woman and her teenage son in the vehicle.

It’s unclear what exactly made border agents suspicious about the vehicle.

A canine detection team arrived on scene and an initial search of the vehicle revealed a blue pill, according to the press release. The pill had characteristics consistent with illicit fentanyl pills.

Agents transported the vehicle to a nearby Border Patrol station for further inspection.

An inspection of the vehicle revealed “suspicious tool marks” on the bolts that held the vehicle’s seats in place, the release said.

When the seats were removed, several large bags containing thousands of blue pills were discovered in a non-factory compartment. A sample of the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

The total weight of the confiscated pills was 93.3 pounds, authorities said.

The driver, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation, along with the vehicle and narcotics. The driver’s son was released to “an appropriate person,” officials said.

“The Indio Border Patrol agents assigned to the Anti-Smuggling Unit just did what the Border Patrol has been doing for a century,” said El Centro Patrol Chief Agent Gregory K. Bovino, in a press release. “They protected America from bad things and bad people; in this case, a suspected smuggler who endangered a minor in order to spread deadly drugs in our communities.

“We look forward to teaming up with the excellent prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the equally capable Drug Enforcement Administration in the Los Angeles Field Office to bring meaningful consequences to this suspected smuggler.”