Alleged Heroin Smuggler Arrested

A man who led officers on a chase through Temecula was arrested.

The U.S. Border Patrol, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Murrieta Police Department and the California Highway Patrol worked together to arrest the suspected smuggler after he fled from the Interstate 15 Border Patrol checkpoint, said Scott E. Simon, in a news release.

The suspect, a 28-year-old male U.S. citizen, allegedly threw two bundles of herion worth $25,740 out of his car window at the checkpoint, Simon said.

Officers spotted the suspect in a red 2005 Dodge Neon at the checkpoint around 10:30 a.m. When they tried to stop him, he drove onto the center median and sped through the checkpoint, Simon said.

"Agents alerted local law enforcement in the area who quickly responded to assist," Simon said.

As he sped away, law enforcers saw him toss two bundles of what they assumed were drugs from his car window.

The suspect got off the freeway on Temecula Parkway and briefly eluded officials, but sheriff's helicopters found him hiding in some brush near the offramp, according to Simon.

He was taken into custody by agents, deputies and officers, Simon said, and the suspect and heroin were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation. The Dodge Neon was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

The suspected smuggler, an American citizen whose name was not released, could face federal charges for narcotics smuggling and high speed flight from a checkpoint, Simon said.