Smuggler Arrested, 26 Pounds Of Cocaine Seized Near Murrieta

MURRIETA (AP) — U.S. Border Patrol agents say they arrested a Mexican national and seized more than 26 pounds of cocaine after stopping his car on Interstate 15 near Murrieta in Riverside County.

Officers say they stopped the driver on Wednesday and became suspicious during questioning so they called in a K-9 team and the dogs reacted positively for the presence of narcotics.

The car was taken to the Interstate 15 Border Patrol checkpoint and searched thoroughly. Agents say they found 10 bundles of cocaine hidden in the rear bumper and behind the rear wheel well.

They placed the value of the cocaine at nearly $265,000.

The 24-year-old driver was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for prosecution.

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