Fentanyl, heroin and cocaine found in car muffler at U.S.-Mexico border

Nearly 17 pounds of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine were found hidden in the muffler of a car on its way from Mexico to the U.S. last week, according to Customs and Border Protection, which seized the illegal drugs at the border.

CBP officers stopped a 28-year-old man at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego at 4:30 a.m. local time and inspected his sedan with a K-9 team that alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. After a second inspection, they found irregularities with the muffler under the car.

In it were 10 packages containing 16.9 pounds of drugs — 4.62 pounds of fentanyl powder, 7.71 pounds of black tar heroin, 2.46 pounds of brown powder heroin and 2.11 pounds of cocaine.

The seizure is part of CBP's Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl effort in California and Arizona that brings together several law enforcement agencies to target drug smugglers trying to get into the U.S.

Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person's tolerance, usage and body size, according to the DEA. More than 2 kilograms of fentanyl were found in the car, according to CBP.

Fentanyl is a synthetic drug that can be used to treat patients with pain but it is 100 times more potent than morphine and is a Schedule II substance.

Illicit fentanyl primarily comes from labs in Mexico and is smuggled in to the U.S. Manufactured illicit fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs to increase potency, which means they often contain lethal doses.

Between July 8 and 14 a total of 1,610 pounds of illegal drugs were intercepted at San Diego's border with Mexico, including 52 pounds of fentanyl, 1,310 pounds of methamphetamine and 235 pounds of cocaine, according to CBP Director of Field Operations for Sidney Aki.