Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station arrested a suspected narcotics smuggler and seized more than two pounds of opium paste concealed on his body on the 4th of July.

The incident occurred at approximately 8 a.m., when Border Patrol agents encountered a 28-year-old male driver, a U.S. citizen driving a brown Mitsubishi Endeavor as he approached the Highway 86 checkpoint located between Westmorland and Salton City.

After a pre-primary K-9 alert, agents referred the driver to the secondary inspection area for further inspection.  During the secondary inspection, it was determined that the man had illegal substances taped to his buttocks.

The opium paste had a combined weight of 2.23 pounds with an estimated street value of $71,360.

Agents took the suspected drug smuggler into custody.  U.S. Border Patrol agents turned the man, the vehicle and the narcotics over to agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

“Keeping dangerous drugs off the streets is an important job that our agents take very seriously,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim