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CBP agents arrest 7 gang members, find 825 lbs of fentanyl and meth at border 

Agents arrested seven gang members and intercepted large drug trafficking attempts over the course of the week

September 8, 2022 8:09pm

Updated: September 8, 2022 8:12pm

Customs and Border Protection agents arrested seven gang members and intercepted large drug trafficking attempts over the course of the week. 

Agents at the Calexico and Andrade ports of entry in San Diego intercepted seven drug trafficking attempts, finding around $3 million in substances. The haul of narcotics, which included mostly methamphetamine and fentanyl, weighed a combined 825 pounds. 

Officers found the 656 packages of meth and fentanyl concealed inside the travelers’ vehicles while trying to enter the United States from Mexico. Authorities caught the attempted drug traffickers while conducting visual inspections, canine screening, and using the port’s imaging systems. 

"Our officers found a significant number of narcotics within a short time period," Port Director Roque Caza at Calexico. "This demonstrates the fierce dedication our officers have to uphold CBP’s mission in protecting our nation’s borders and keeping our communities safe from these dangerous drugs." 

In a separate event, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol captured seven gang members and two sex offenders who tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Additionally, one undocumented migrant was previously convicted of assaulting a minor. 

On September 6, Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents arrested a member of the Mexican Gulf Cartel with several previous removals from the U.S. The same day, Corpus Christi Border Patrol agents apprehended a Salvadoran Mara-Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member who had multiple deportations and a prior sentencing for distributing a controlled substance. 

On September 5, McAllen agents arrested another MS-13 gang member and a Honduran Paisa gang member. Two days earlier, agents at the Falfurrias Border Patrol Station arrested a female Salvadoran MS-14 member. On September 2, agents encountered two 18 Street gang members from El Salvador. 

On September 4, agents arrested an undocumented migrant with a criminal history, including injury to a child. On September 3, agents intercepted a Mexican national who had been convicted of statutory rape in Georgia and a Salvadoran national who had been sentenced for attempted lewdness with a child under 14 in Nevada.