SAN CLEMENTE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested a man at the San Clemente, California checkpoint on Interstate 5 for narcotics smuggling yesterday.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., agents at the checkpoint encountered a 26-year-old Mexican national in a 2004 Nissan Quest. The subject was referred for a secondary inspection and a K-9 team was summoned, which alerted to the vehicle. Agents searched and discovered two bundles of heroin hidden inside the right rear-quarter panel. The narcotics weighed more than four pounds and had an estimated street value of $56,000.
The man was arrested for the possession of a controlled substance. The man, vehicle, and drugs were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
