YUMA – A Phoenix man was arrested this week after Border Patrol agents found after he tried to smuggle fentanyl and cocaine through the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 8.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at approximately 1:40 p.m., a U.S. Border Patrol canine alerted to a 2006 Dodge Charger driven by the unnamed 43-year-old Phoenix man while he was attempting to travel through the checkpoint. Agents directed the vehicle to the secondary inspection area for further investigation.
A search of the vehicle yielded two packages of cocaine and 10 packages of fentanyl concealed inside the dashboard. Nine of the fentanyl packages contained pills while one consisted of powder. The cocaine had an estimated street value of $40,000 while the fentanyl was worth over $150,000.