Pine Valley, California – Border Patrol agents in San Diego intercepted one of the region’s largest fentanyl smuggling attempts late last week, seizing nearly 129 pounds of the synthetic opioid concealed in the frame of a flatbed trailer.
The bust occurred Friday afternoon, June 27, at the Interstate 8 Border Patrol checkpoint in Pine Valley, about 45 miles east of San Diego. A pickup truck hauling an otherwise empty flatbed trailer was directed to secondary inspection after a K-9 unit alerted agents to the potential presence of narcotics.
Agents conducted a search and discovered 42 bundles of fentanyl pills hidden in aftermarket compartments built into the trailer’s structure. After being tested and weighed at the Campo Border Patrol Station, the bundles were confirmed to contain 128.7 pounds of fentanyl—an amount with an estimated street value of $758,000, according to Customs and Border Protection…