120 pounds of drugs seized in Murrieta
MURRIETA, Calif. - Border patrol agents in Riverside County seized more than 100 pounds of drugs from a single vehicle last week with an estimated value of nearly $500,000.
The seizure happened in Murrieta Friday, March 3, around 11 a.m. Border Patrol agents with the San Diego Sector stopped an SUV just north of the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 15.
When agents searched the SUV, they found 99 pounds of methamphetamine and 27 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of approximately $483,000, according to Border Patrol agents.
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Agents seized both the SUV and the drugs, and arrested the driver — identified only as a 26-year-old man. Agents then turned everything over to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
With Friday's 126-pound bust, the San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents have seized over 1,300 pounds of drugs in fiscal year 2023, compared to 14,000 pounds in fiscal year 2022.
"Criminal organizations only focus on profit, regardless of the effect these dangerous drugs have on the community," said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. "Our Border Patrol agents remain vigilant, day and night, to intercept these poisons and the smugglers who transport them."