An elderly woman is accused of smuggling a massive amount of heroin into the United States from Mexico after she was stopped at a border checkpoint near San Diego, California, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
BP officers working the Tecate border crossing on the morning of August 9 encountered an 81-year-old United States citizen as she entered the U.S. in a 2011 Chrysler 200. A CBP K-9 team was screening vehicles as they waited in line for inspection when the detector dog alerted to the driver side rocker panel.
CBP officers referred the vehicle for a more in-depth inspection, during which CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 34 wrapped packages of heroin from the vehicle’s rocker panels. The estimated street value of the heroin is over $870,000.
San Diego Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations Pete Flores said in a statement drug “cartels will try and manipulate anyone to smuggle their narcotics through the ports of entry.”
“CBP officers are aware of the many tactics used by the cartels and remain ever vigilant to stop anyone attempting to smuggle narcotics,” added Flores.
