Salton City, California - Friday, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station arrested two men suspected of smuggling drugs at the Highway 86 checkpoint after agents discovered more than $1,000,000 worth of cocaine concealed in a commercial truck they were driving.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m., when Border Patrol agents encountered the men as it approached the checkpoint in a Ford commercial utility truck.

A Border Patrol Canine Detection team alerted to the truck and agents referred the driver to secondary for further investigation.  Upon further inspection, agents discovered thirty-three packages of cocaine concealed in a non-factory compartment located behind the cab of the truck.

The cocaine had a combined weight of approximately 79 pounds with an estimated street value of $1,027,000.

The men, both Mexican citizens, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing.

The El Centro Sector’s Community Awareness Campaign is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness on the indicators of crime and other threats.  We encourage public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play a key role in keeping our country safe.  Please report any suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at 1-800-901-2003.