Two suspects were arrested after crashing through a gate at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and abandoning a vehicle that contained more than 112 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said.
The agency said the incident began when the two suspects, who were fleeing local law enforcement, crashed through a base gate, abandoned the vehicle in a military housing area and fled on foot. The breach prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order while authorities secured the installation, NCIS said.
NCIS said a multi-agency search of about 30 personnel lasted six hours. The search used real-time intelligence and tracking support from the NCIS Multiple Threat Alert Center and its Regional Enforcement Action Capabilities Team, and both suspects were taken into custody without incident, NCIS said.
Investigators later found approximately 51 kilograms (112 pounds) of cocaine and fentanyl inside the vehicle, NCIS said. The agency posted on social media thanking the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in California, the Camp Pendleton Provost Marshal’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Border Patrol and other responding agencies. Officials did not immediately release the suspects’ identities or any charges, NCIS said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
