Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Campo Border Patrol Station found over 200 pounds of fentanyl inside of a 2015 Black GMC truck thanks to K-9 Aldaco. Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Agents with U.S. Border Patrol caught a motorist trying to smuggle hundreds of pounds of fentanyl through eastern San Diego County Monday, the agency reported.
The federal officers pulled over the driver on eastbound Interstate 8 near Golden Acorn Casino in the Campo area about 3 a.m., according to USBP public affairs.
During the traffic stop, a service dog alerted the personnel to the possible presence of contraband in the man’s black 2015 GMC pickup truck, and a search of the vehicle turned up suspicious bundles concealed in a spare tire and the gas tank.
Inside the packages was a combined total of about 250 pounds of pills that tested positive for fentanyl — a drug haul that would have had an estimated street value of roughly $3.7 million.
The motorist, a U.S. citizen whose name was not released, and the narcotics were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The vehicle was seized by the Border Patrol.
City News Service contributed to this article.