El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a driver attempting to smuggle cocaine through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on the evening of October 25.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:25 p.m., when a silver sedan approached the Highway 86 Border Patrol checkpoint in Salton City. Agents questioned the driver and requested consent to search the trunk.

During the secondary inspection, agents observed a plastic grocery bag containing three cellophane-wrapped packages in the trunk. Agents tested the contents of the packages and confirmed the discovered substances as cocaine.

The total weight of the cocaine was 7.16 pounds with an estimated street value of $78,000.

The driver, a 25-year-old male Mexican citizen, and the narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing and investigation. The U.S. Border Patrol seized the silver sedan.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.