The driver of an SUV who authorities say was carrying more than 80 pounds of cocaine might have gotten away if not for that nosy dog.
Around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the pickup truck was traveling on the 15 Freeway through Temecula when it was stopped by agents from the San Diego Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
During a subsequent sniff test of the vehicle, a dog alerted officers to the possible presence of drugs. Authorities said a subsequent search uncovered a number of cellophane-wrapped packages hidden inside a false dashboard.
Officers arrested the driver and his accompanying passenger and seized the truck for further inspection.
In total, authorities said they found 31 packages in the fake dashboard, containing a total of 81 pounds of cocaine.
Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector have seized 2,437 pounds of cocaine since the start of the fiscal year, according to the department.
The sector has also seized 3,627 pounds of methamphetamine, 31 pounds of heroin and 475 pounds of fentanyl. This includes a combined 3.65 pounds of fentanyl and heroin found between August 11 and August 17.
“I am proud to say that the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol are there day and night protecting our communities,” said Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel said in a statement“With every successful narcotics interdiction, I know for certain that we have saved someone’s life.”
