Border patrol seizes 80 pounds of cocaine near Temecula

TEMECULA (CNS) - Nearly 80 pounds of cocaine were seized from a motorist

at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Temecula, authorities said today.

The 76-pound seizure happened shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday on

Interstate 15, just north of the Riverside County line, according to Border

Patrol spokesman Mark Endicott.

He said agents stopped the driver of a 2005 Honda Accord at the

checkpoint based on suspicions he might be involved in illicit activity. A drug-

sniffing canine was turned loose on the Honda and immediately alerted to the

presence of narcotics, Endicott said.

The 50-year-old driver admitted transporting cocaine, and agents

uncovered 30 bundles of coke tucked into a hidden compartment in the sedan's

back seat, according to Endicott.

The haul totaled 76.07 pounds -- with an estimated street value of $1.21

million.

The suspected smuggler, whose identity was not released, was turned over

to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents. His custody status could not

immediately be confirmed.

Since last Oct. 1, San Diego sector agents have seized 598. 4 pounds of

cocaine, according to the Border Patrol.