Crime & Safety

$640K in Drugs Nabbed at San Clemente Border Checkpoint

Together with drugs captured at another checkpoint in San Diego, border agents seize more than $1 million worth over the last several days, officials say.

U.S Border Patrol agents nabbed about $640,000 in methamphetamine at the I-5 border checkpoint south of San Clemente over the holiday weekend.

Along with almost $500,000 in coke captured on the I-15 Freeway in San Diego County, the total comes to more than $1 million in drugs seized in the last several days, according to a release from the patrol.

Sunday, agents at the San Clemente checkpoint on I-5 stopped a 30-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 1995 Saturn sedan, the release states. The driver's "nervous demeanor" prompted agents to question him, and he admitted to smuggling narcotics, according to the release. A Border Patrol drug dog confirmed the admission. 

Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Agents found 18 bundles of meth in the trunk, weighing 31.97 pounds and with an estimated street value of $639,400, the press release states.

Earlier in the week -- Wednesday morning at 10:30 -- agents stopped a 40-year-old female U.S. citizen in a 2002 Ford Explorer at the I-15 checkpoint, the release states. 

Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

She consented to a search of the Explorer by a drug dog, which directed agents to 17 bundles of cocaine inside the rear cargo bin, according to the release. 

The bundles weighed 44.97 pounds and had an estimated street value of $494,670, according to the release.

The suspected smugglers, drugs, and vehicles were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration in both instances.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.