TUCSON – On Saturday afternoon, Border Patrol agents working at the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 8 thwarted a fentanyl smuggling attempt by a bicyclist in a taxi cab.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at approximately 1 p.m., the smuggler’s stash was discovered after a U.S. Border Patrol canine alerted to a taxicab with a male driver and a single male passenger, a 29-year-old United States citizen.
Agents directed the cab driver to the secondary inspection area for further investigation. During their search of the vehicle, agents found the bicycle filled with blue pills. The pills tested positive for the characteristics of fentanyl.
The suspected fentanyl weighed approximately 2.2 pounds with a potential an estimated wholesale street value of approximately $32,000.
The taxicab driver was released along with his vehicle. The bicyclist was arrested on drug smuggling charges.