U.S. Border Patrol agents from the San Diego sector seized over 160 pounds of illicit drugs during two vehicle stops as the Trump administration continues efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs into the United States.
According to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the first seizure occurred on Feb. 18 on Interstate 5 near the San Clemente Border Patrol Checkpoint. Agents pulled over a suspicious vehicle and discovered packages consistent with smuggled narcotics following an inspection assisted by a Border Patrol K-9 team.
The agents found the packages in an aftermarket compartment in the floorboard. After transporting the driver, the vehicle and the suspected narcotics to a nearby Border Patrol station, agents found that 55 cellophane-wrapped packages all tested positive for cocaine.
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The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of the driver and the cocaine, which weighed 142.96 pounds and had an estimated street value of $1.1 million.
U.S. Border Patrol seized the vehicle, and the driver is facing narcotics-related charges, according to CBP.
As a result of the second seizure on Feb. 19, Border Patrol agents found multiple bundles consistent with the characteristics of narcotics. The agents made the discovery after stopping a vehicle at an Interstate 15 checkpoint in Temecula, California.
A Border Patrol K-9 team once again alerted agents, leading them to search the vehicle and discover a backpack on the front passenger floorboard containing the suspected narcotics.
Testing and weighing eight bundles at the station revealed that the 18.51 pounds of fentanyl had a value of approximately $143,000, according to CBP. The driver, who was turned over to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department along with the vehicle and narcotics, is facing charges for transportation and possession of a controlled substance for sale.
“These seizures underscore San Diego Sector’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from the dangers of illicit narcotics,” Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, the acting chief patrol agent for the San Diego Sector, said in a statement.
“The successful interdiction of these drugs highlights the effectiveness of our Border Patrol agents and K-9 teams in the fight against these criminal organizations,” he added.
As CBP noted in its release, agents in the San Diego sector seized 2,862 pounds of cocaine and 782 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2024. Regarding this fiscal year, the San Diego Sector has already seized over 900 pounds of cocaine, along with over 150 pounds of fentanyl.
According to operational statistics CBP released on Feb. 18, CBP seized 1,029 pounds of fentanyl in January. That same month, CBP reported that methamphetamine seizures increased 15%.
“The men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection are aggressively implementing the president’s executive orders to secure our borders. These actions have already resulted in dramatic improvements in border security,” Acting Commissioner Pete Flores said in a statement last week about the report.
“The reduction in illegal aliens attempting to make entry into the U.S., compounded by a significant increase in repatriations, means that more officers and agents are now able to conduct the enforcement duties that make our border more secure and our country safer,” Flores stated.
Earlier this month, NewsNation reported that sources from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security attributed a nearly 75% decline in southern border encounters to “The Trump Effect.”
Within the first 15 days of Trump taking office for the second time, the southwest border saw 12,500 migrant encounters in total, averaging around 833 each day, according to the data.
On Jan. 17, the agency released a statement before Trump’s inauguration, claiming that the DHS took “unprecedented steps” to secure the border amid “historic levels of global migration” during the Biden-Harris administration.
Critics of President Joe Biden’s presidency have pointed to the reversal of policies from Trump’s first presidency as the reason for the surge in illegal immigration.
After taking office, Biden reversed the Migrant Protection Protocol requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims were adjudicated and rescinded the national emergency at the border declared by Trump during his first term.
Throughout the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump promised to strengthen border security and combat illegal immigration.
Following his inauguration in January, Trump signed multiple executive orders, one of which declared a national emergency at the southern border. Another of Trump’s executive orders designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations due to “the unacceptable national security risk” to the U.S., among other reasons.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
