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Calexico, Calif. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico East port of entry intercepted two narcotic smuggling attempts worth about $494,000, officials announced today.

The most recent interception occurred at about 2:30 p.m., on Tuesday, February 10, when a white 2000 Dodge Caravan with California plates was referred to the secondary examination area for further inspection.

	Officers find 27 pounds of cocaine concealed in a vehicles dashboard.

During the examination, the utilization of a detector dog and x-ray equipment led officers to the discovery of 11 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed within a non-factory compartment inside the vehicle’s dashboard area. The total weight of the narcotics was 27 pounds with a street value of almost $218,000.

The driver, a 37-year-old female Mexican citizen and permanent resident of Dinuba, Calif., was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt. Both the narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

The second interception occurred a day earlier at about 10 p.m., when a grey 2002 Nissan Maxima with Nevada plates was referred to the secondary examination area for a more in-depth inspection.

During the examination, utilization of a detector dog led officers to the discovery of 13 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside a non-factory compartment within the vehicle’s dashboard area. The total weight of the narcotics was 34 pounds with a street value of $276,000.

The driver, a 23-year-old male Mexican citizen and permanent resident of Rialto, Calif., was arrested for the alleged narcotics smuggling attempt. Both the narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.