Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 checkpoint arrested a suspected drug smuggler after discovering black tar heroin concealed in her vehicle on Friday.

The incident occurred at approximately 7 p.m., when Border Patrol agents at the checkpoint encountered a 62-year-old woman, driving a 2004 Jeep Liberty.

A Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle.  Agents referred the driver to secondary for further examination.  Agents discovered eight packages of heroin wrapped in tape concealed within the transmission components of the vehicle.

The heroin weighed in at 7.38 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $88,500.

The woman, a United States citizen, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

Last fiscal year, El Centro Sector seized more than 186.5 pounds of heroin.

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.