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Temecula, Calif. - Late last week, Border Patrol agents seized more than 79 pounds of cocaine and 98 pounds of marijuana from separate vehicle stops on Interstate 15 in Temecula.

Agents made the cocaine seizure last Friday at about 10:30 a.m., after a Jeep Liberty was stopped on the interstate, near of the southern exit to Highway 79. During the vehicle stop, an agent noticed an overwhelming odor of air freshener and cologne from the interior of the vehicle. The agent called for a K9 search of the vehicle, which resulted in an alert for narcotics. During a further search of the SUV at the nearby Border Patrol checkpoint, agents found 33 vacuum-sealed bundles of cocaine stashed in a makeshift secret compartment within the vehicle’s fuel tank. The total weight of the cocaine was 79.7 pounds. Agents turned the narcotics and the 26-year-old male driver over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Last Friday’s seizure marked the second significant cocaine seizure along the same stretch of Interstate 15 in less than a week. A seizure of 72.5 pounds of cocaine took place last Tuesday.

On Saturday at about 10 a.m., 98.66 pounds of marijuana was seized upon a vehicle stop involving a Chevrolet Suburban on Interstate 15, north of the exit to Murrieta Hot Springs Road. During the vehicle stop, the driver’s visibly nervous behavior and inconsistent answers prompted agents to summon for a Border Patrol K-9 search of the vehicle. The search produced an alert, leading agents to find 35 bundles of marijuana, 19 of which were found in a duffel bag inside the vehicle and the remaining 16 bundles were hidden inside the vehicle’s quarter panels. The 25-year-old driver and the marijuana were turned over to a multi-agency, anti-drug task force.

Since October 1, 2008, Border Patrol agents seized more than 7,200 pounds of marijuana and 300 pounds of cocaine in San Diego sector.

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.