A woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of smuggling $75,000 worth of heroin in four packages taped to her body, El Centro Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station said.
Around 4 p.m. Aug. 20, a 20-year-old woman driving a purple 1998 Chevrolet Malibu approached the Highway 86 checkpoint between Westmorland and Salton City, Border Patrol personnel said in a statement.
"Agents directed her to secondary inspection were a Border Patrol canine team conducted a cursory inspection resulting in an alert around the driver's seat of the vehicle," the statement said. "Border Patrol agents conducted a pat down of the woman, which revealed four plastic wrapped packages duct taped to her upper abdomen."
Agents also found a pair of shoes with hollowed out soles, a common method used by smugglers to conceal contraband, according to the Border Patrol.
"The heroin had a combined weight of approximately 2.36 pounds and an estimated street value of$75,000," Border Patrol personnel said. "The woman, a United States citizen, was arrested as the sole suspect in the case."
The woman and narcotics were turned over to the Imperial County Drug Enforcement Administration. The woman's name and hometown were not released.
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