Teenage Mules Carrying Fentanyl Worth Over $400,000 Stopped At The Border
Photo: drugs strapped to mule
SAN YSIDRO – Three teen drug mules were apprehended at the border in three separate smuggling incidents this past weekend, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. The San Ysido port of entry intercepted teens with packages of fentanyl strapped to their bodies.
Pete Flores, Director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego announced Tuesday, “These cases all involve juveniles allegedly attempting to smuggle a dangerous and lethal narcotic such as fentanyl. Fentanyl is known to be 50 to 100 times more deadly than heroin.”
Drugs strapped on mule’s back
CBP officers stopped a 17-year-old male Mexican citizen at the San Ysidro PedEast facility on Friday, Mar. 30, at about 7:20 p.m. A visual search of the teen revealed an anomaly on his back. An immediate pat-down for weapons discovered two packages strapped to his back, later identified as fentanyl weighing over 4 pounds, with an estimated street value of $141,000.
On Saturday, CBP officers at the San Ysidro Pedestrian West border crossing encountered a 15-year-old male Mexican citizen at about 8:20 p.m. Some discrepancies during the inspection required further examination.
The escorting CBP officer observed a bulge on the teen’s back and discovered two packages strapped to him, later identified as fentanyl weighing just under 5 pounds with an estimated street value of $143,000.
Ten minutes later, at the same location, CBP officers encountered a 17-year-old male U.S. citizen with a bulge on his back. The two packages strapped to him were later identified as fentanyl weighing just under 5 pounds, carrying an estimated street value of $143,000.
Students are lured by recruiters at parties, and near schoolyards and malls. The payment for this type of at-risk endeavor has ranged from $50-$500. An arrest can land two felonies for transportation and intent to sell, along with incarceration.
Pete Flores added, “The dangers associated with the unfamiliarity of handling fentanyl can be deadly. Please understand that no matter what you may be told, there are consequences for engaging in this type of activity, not to mention the dangers of working with transnational criminal organizations.”
CBP reported that he teenagers were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further processing. CBP officers seized the narcotics. The seizures from this weekend come a week after CBP officers stopped two other allegedly smuggling attempts by teenagers at the San Ysidro port of entry.
