MURRIETA: Border Patrol K-9 sniffs out nearly $200K in Heroin, Meth during traffic stop
MURRIETA — Border Patrol agents arrested a 53-year-old man Friday afternoon, April 7, after agents discovered nearly $200,000 worth of narcotics hidden inside a vehicle the man was driving.
The traffic stop seizure amounted to 53.55 lbs. of meth and 6.21 lbs. of heroin. US Border Patrol image
Agents found the illegal narcotics after they conducted a traffic enforcement stop on the suspect’s vehicle, a Dodge Journey SUV. Agents made the stop about 1:30 p.m., on northbound I-215, near the Murrieta Hot Springs Rd. exit.
During the vehicle stop, agents brought in a law enforcement trained K-9 and a “sniff” was conducted on the vehicle. The K-9 almost immediately alerted to the presence of narcotics, at which time agents conducted a further search of the vehicle.
While searching the SUV, agents located a secret, hidden, man-made compartment built into the vehicle’s firewall.
Agents checked inside the hidden compartment, at which time they located and seized 57 bundles of methamphetamine totaling more than 53 pounds, with a street value of $128,520.
Border Patrol agents located a secret, man-made compartment built into the vehicle’s firewall. US Border Patrol image
Agents also located and recovered two bundles of heroin from the compartment, totaling more than six pounds, with a street value of $68,310.
The suspected smuggler, who agents did not identify, was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta and is facing several narcotics-related charges.
After recovering the narcotics, U.S. Border Patrol agents seized the suspect’s vehicle.
This sizable drug bust comes on the heels of an April 6 traffic stop and drug bust, during which agents located and seized nearly 35 pounds of methamphetamine during another Border Patrol vehicle stop in the same area of Murrieta.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.