Border Patrol Busts 2 in 5 Minutes on I-5 in San Clemente

The U.S. Border Patrol Wednesday nabbed two suspected smugglers with more than $100,000 worth of pot at the I-5 Freeway checkpoint south of San Clemente.

The first incident was a 7:15 p.m. when agents stopped a 31-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 2011 Toyota Tacoma truck, according to a Border Patrol press release.  

Because of the driver's "nervous demeanor," agents brought a drug dog, which indicated there were drugs in the vehicle, the release states.  

The release states the driver admitted to smuggling marijuana, and agents found four bundles in two backpacks in the back seat. The driver also allegedly had less than one ounce of hashish inside a jar, the release states. The marijuana weighed 5.29 pounds and had an estimated street value of $7,935, according to the release.

Five minutes later, a 35-year-old U.S. citizen driving a gray Chevrolet Tahoe was stopped at the checkpoint.  The drug dog "alerted" agents the vehicle contained drugs. 

"A search of the vehicle revealed several black trash bags filled with bundles of marijuana behind the front seats of the vehicle," the release states. "The drugs weighed 61.51 pounds and had an estimated street value of $92,265."

Records checks showed both suspected smugglers had prior convictions for the possession of narcotics for sale.  The narcotics and suspects were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the vehicles were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol, the release states.