US Citizen Suspected Of Human Smuggling Arrested In Indio: USBP

Palm Desert CA

14 December, 2021

1:24 PM

Description

INDIO, CA — A U.S. citizen suspected of human and narcotics smuggling was taken into custody in Indio by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents patrolling Interstate 10, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday. The citizen, whose identity was not released, was pulled over around 7:45 a.m. Thursday in a 2005 Dodge Magnum on I-10 near Jefferson Street. "Agents interviewed the occupants of the vehicle and determined that two of them did not possess the proper documentation to be in the United States legally. All four individuals and the vehicle were transported to the Indio Station for further investigation," the USBP said in a news release. At the station, agents searched the Magnum's interior and found methamphetamine plus a bag containing 250 pills that tested positive for fentanyl, according to the agency. The driver and narcotics were turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The passenger, a 36-year-old male U.S. citizen, and two undocumented men, both Mexican nationals, "will be processed accordingly," according to the USBP. The Dodge Magnum was seized, according to the agency.