Border Patrol agents bust driver hauling more than $3.5M in fentanyl pills on California interstate

Border Patrol agents in California discovered dozens of bundles filled with fentanyl pills worth millions of dollars hidden inside a vehicle after pulling over a driver on the interstate last week, authorities said Tuesday.

Agents with the San Diego Sector stopped a 24-year-old woman who was driving a gray sedan northbound on Interstate 15 near Temecula on Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.

During the stop, a Border Patrol dog alerted agents to the sedan. Further inspection of the vehicle revealed that 62 bundles of blue pills were concealed inside its door panels and seats, the agency said.

Officials tested the pills and confirmed the presence of fentanyl, CBP said.

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In total, agents said they seized 81.4 pounds of fentanyl with an estimated street value of $3,692,000.00.

Border Patrol seized the sedan, while the woman and pills were turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Bureau.

No further details about the woman or what charges she may face were immediately provided.

Chief Patrol Agent Patricia D. McGurk-Daniel praised Border Patrol agents for their dedication to keeping America safe.

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"We will continue to serve on the frontlines against fentanyl by disrupting and ultimately dismantling the drug trafficking organizations who profit in this poison," McGurk-Daniel said.

The seizure was part of Operation Apollo, which involves federal, state and local agencies who are teaming up to fight the fentanyl threat in the U.S.

San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents have seized more than 1,285 pounds of fentanyl during fiscal year 2023.