Border Patrol agents in California intercepted fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in an unlikely place – children’s booster seats.
Border Patrol agents pulled over an unnamed Mexican national near San Clemente, according to a November 24 press release. They searched the car, and found 11 packages of drugs – including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine – hidden in two booster seats.
“The discovery of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin hidden within child car seats is a disturbing reminder that these foreign terrorist organizations will go to great lengths to get their products into our country and our communities,” said San Diego Sector Chief Justin De La Torre in the release.
Agents from the San Clemente Border Patrol Station – along the Pacific coast, between San Diego and Los Angeles – pulled over a vehicle on I-5 near Basilone Road, around 7 p.m., November 19.
When a Border Patrol K-9 alerted agents to drugs, they searched the rear storage compartment, where they found the booster seats with drugs inside, according to the release.
Seven packages tested positive for fentanyl, worth around $138,700. They weighed more than 16 pounds combined. If the packages were purely filled with fentanyl, this would be enough to kill more than 3.6 million people.
Two packages tested positive for cocaine, worth around $41,800. They weighed nearly 5 pounds in total. Cocaine is generally lethal at 1.2g, so if the packages were purely filled with the drug, this would be enough to kill nearly 1,900 people.
Two more packages tested positive for heroin, worth around $11,400. They weighed more than 1 pound.
Border Patrol agents brought the driver, the drugs, and the vehicle to a nearby station for processing, according to the release. The driver will be charged with the sale and importation of a controlled substance.
“Our agents are confronting ruthless criminal networks every single day, and these seizures show our unwavering commitment to stopping dangerous drugs from reaching American communities,” De La Torre said in the release.
Border Patrol officials asked nearby residents to report any suspicious activity to 911 or the San Diego Sector at 619-498-9900.
While San Clemente is a 74-mile drive from the nearest Mexican city of Tijuana, the wealthy beach town has struggled to deter illegal aliens landing on its shores in “panga” boats.
The same day as the booster seat bust, Customs and Border Protection officers caught 17 illegal aliens from Mexico in a boat near San Clemente Island. They brought them to the San Clemente Border Patrol Station, according to a press release. In February, as Fox News reported, the town requested Border Patrol install 24/7 cameras to catch illegals landing on its beaches.
In Texas last week, immigration enforcement arrested and deported a previously removed felon, intercepted a convicted sex offender, and secured a guilty plea in a federal drug trafficking case, as The Dallas Express reported. Earlier, CBP officers busted three child sex offenders at the border in less than a week.
In October, illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border fell to the lowest levels since 1970, as The Dallas Express also reported. Still, Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd recently spoke before a Senate subcommittee, urging state and federal authorities to crack down on illegal immigration.