Man arrested after $500k of cocaine found in car with wife and baby

Border Patrol agents arrested an individual for allegedly smuggling more than $500,000 worth of cocaine in the car that he was taking a trip with his wife and son.

The arrest occurred on Thursday in San Clemente, California, when agents saw a suspicious vehicle traveling past them at about 85 MPH, weaving between lanes and around drivers.

The vehicle stopped at a shopping mall, where the motorist walked about soon with his wife, before being confronted by agents who asked for consent to investigate their vehicle. The couple agreed and agents found a duffel bag containing 20 brick-shaped packages of cocaine, the statement released by the U.S. Border Patrol noted.

Agents also found a package of cocaine in a shopping bag close to the infant’s car seat. The 21 packages of cocaine weighed more than 51lbs combined, and officials estimate it has a street value of $512,500.

As agents questioned the driver of the vehicle, his wife took their infant son to a nearby mall, stating she needed to use the restroom. The pair did not came back and were subsequently located around a quarter of a mile from the location of the arrest.

Officials arrested the driver, identified as a 34-year-old U.S. citizen and turned over, together with the seized cocaine, to the Orange Country Drug Enforcement Administration office. Nonetheless, the mother and infant were released.