Elderly Woman Arrested Attempting to Smuggle $870,000 of Heroin into the United States

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SAN DIEGO – An 81-year-old woman was arrested for attempting to smuggle 92 pounds of heroin into the United States. The woman, a U.S. Citizen was stopped at the Tecate port of entry in San Diego. The street value of the drugs is estimated at over $870,000

The woman was stopped by Customs Border Patrol (CBP) officers at the border crossing in a 2011 Chrysler 200 at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. The CBP K-9 team was screening vehicles as they waited in line for inspection, CBP officials said. The detector dog alerted to the driver’s side rocker panel. The vehicle was referred for a more in-depth inspection. During the inspection 34 wrapped packages of heroin were pulled from the vehicle’s rocker panels. The elderly woman was arrested and the vehicle was seized.

“The cartels will try and manipulate anyone to smuggle their narcotics through the ports of entry,” said San Diego CBP Director of Field Operations Pete Flores. “CBP officers are aware of the many tactics used by the cartels and remain ever vigilant to stop anyone attempting to smuggle narcotics.”