U.S. Border Patrol agents confiscated nearly $10 million worth of cocaine during two vehicle inspections conducted just three minutes apart at a Southern California checkpoint, officials said.
The inspections at the San Clemente Border Patrol checkpoint uncovered more than 1,435 pounds of suspected cocaine with an estimated value of $9.8 million, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
On Oct. 25, agents assigned to the San Diego Sector sent both vehicles for additional screening after noticing what officials described as “suspicious behavior,” including one driver trying to back out of the checkpoint.
A Border Patrol canine alerted agents to both vehicles. A subsequent search revealed 550 vacuum-sealed packages hidden inside black garbage bags.
CBP OFFICERS SEIZE MORE THAN $2.8M IN COCAINE AND METH DURING BACK-TO-BACK BUSTS AT CALIFORNIA PORT OF ENTRY
U.S. Border Patrol agents recovered more than 1,435 pounds of suspected cocaine, valued at $9.8 million, during two vehicle inspections conducted three minutes apart at a Southern California checkpoint. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Field tests produced presumptive positive results for cocaine, CBP reported.
“With this seizure, we are heading for a record year in narcotics interdictions here at the San Clemente checkpoint,” San Clemente Station Patrol Agent in Charge J.D. Scott said in a statement.
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“A few years ago, our agents were deployed to the immediate border and processed hundreds of illegal aliens,” Scott said. “With illegal border entries in San Diego at all-time lows, we now have the agents needed to keep our checkpoint open longer and to maintain a strong Border Patrol presence along our I-5 corridor.”
CBP OFFICERS SEIZE $67 MILLION IN ILLEGAL DRUGS AT SAN DIEGO BORDER PORTS, DHS SAYS
Agents found 550 vacuum-sealed packages of suspected cocaine concealed in black garbage bags during inspections at the San Clemente checkpoint on Oct. 25, 2026. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Both drivers were arrested. The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of the suspects and the suspected narcotics as the case moves toward federal prosecution.
The seizures come as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on drug cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, human smuggling and drug trafficking networks.
Authorities recovered 550 vacuum-sealed packages of suspected cocaine hidden in black garbage bags inside two vehicles at a California Border Patrol checkpoint. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
In a separate case in May, authorities in the Southern District of California seized more than a ton of cocaine worth an estimated $45 million. Investigators linked the drugs to an alleged cross-border smuggling tunnel.