Border Patrol finds narcotics in child booster seats near Camp Pendleton
Dante Ulanday - News Moderator 
San Diego-based U.S. Border Patrol agents recently intercepted 22 pounds of drugs worth almost $192,000 hidden inside two child booster seats in a car that was pulled over near Camp Pendleton, officials said Monday.
Around 7 p.m. Nov. 19, Border Patrol agents assigned to the San Clemente Border Patrol Station performed a vehicle stop on northbound Interstate 5 near the Basilone Road exit, according to an agency statement.
A Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the presence of narcotics, and a search of the rear storage compartment uncovered 11 packages of drugs inside a pair of child booster seats, officials said.
The driver, identified as a Mexican national, as well as the drugs and the vehicle, were taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for further processing, officials said.
Seven of the packages tested positive for fentanyl with a combined weight of more than 16 pounds, valued at approximately $138,700. Two packages tested positive for cocaine weighing almost five pounds, valued at approximately $41,800. The remaining two packages tested positive for heroin weighing over one pound, valued at approximately $11,400.
“The discovery of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin hidden within child car seats is a disturbing reminder that these foreign terrorist organizations will go to great lengths to get their products into our country and our communities,” San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre said in a statement. “Our agents are confronting ruthless criminal networks every single day, and these seizures show our unwavering commitment to stopping dangerous drugs from reaching American communities.”
The driver faces charges in connection to the sale and importation of a controlled substance, De La Torre said.
“To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance along corridors of egress away from our nation’s borders,” De La Torre said.
To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact 911 or the San Diego Sector at 619-498-9900.
