YUMA – A stash of fentanyl made one failed drug smuggler’s shoes worth $25,000. Those shoes were destroyed, and the smuggler was arrested after a Yuma Sector Border Patrol Canine sniffed them out at the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 8.
On Saturday, at approximately 11:30 a.m., agents encountered a Chevrolet Suburban driven by a 37-year-old U.S. citizen from San Luis, Arizona as it drove through the checkpoint. A canine alerted to the vehicle and agents referred it to the secondary inspection area.
During a search of the vehicle and the driver, agents discovered 1.72 pounds of fentanyl pills wrapped in duct tape inside the driver’s shoes. The driver was wearing modified shoes with hollowed out insoles containing the fentanyl. Agents also found two grams of methamphetamine in the driver’s jacket pocket.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Yuma County Sheriff’s Task Force took custody of the subject, and seized the narcotics and vehicle.