CBP Officers in California Stop Las Vegas Resident with Nearly 50 Pounds of Cocaine in Hidden Compartment

Calexico, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the border crossing in downtown Calexico, Calif. seized nearly 50 pounds of cocaine Wednesday from a hidden compartment built into a pickup truck trying to cross into the U.S.

At about 8:30 a.m., a CBP officer was roving through the lanes of traffic waiting at the border crossing with his narcotic detector dog when the canine alerted to a maroon 1993 Chevy pickup truck.

CBP officers pulled the vehicle and driver, a 52-year-old male U.S. citizen and resident of Las Vegas, aside for further inspection.

Officers discovered a hidden compartment underneath the pickup truck’s console with 13 packages inside. The packages contained 46 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $366,500.

CBP officers seized the vehicle and narcotics, and turned custody of the driver over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.