San Clemente, California - A man driving erratically on Interstate 5 was arrested by Border Patrol agents when they discovered narcotics inside his vehicle Tuesday morning.

On October 22, at approximately 3 a.m., Border Patrol agents patrolling I-5 observed a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck weaving in and out of lanes on Interstate 5 near Camino de Estrella.  When the truck exited the freeway, agents followed the driver to a nearby gas station to conduct a safety check.

During the encounter, the agents grew suspicious of the driver’s behavior and they decided to request for a K-9 team to respond.  The K-9 alerted to the truck’s engine compartment.  Agents initiated a search and located four packages of brown heroin stashed inside the truck’s air intake box.

The bundles of heroin weighed 4.85 pounds and had an estimated street value of $127,200.

The driver, a 19-year-old U.S citizen, was placed under arrest and faces State charges for felony drug trafficking.  The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders.