81-year-old woman caught smuggling heroin across US-Mexico border

SAN DIEGO (KABC) -- Authorities seized 92 pounds of heroin valued at more than $870,000 from an 81-year-old woman attempting to smuggle the narcotics across the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday.

While screening vehicles at the Tecate port of entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detector dog alerted officers to the driver-side rocker panel of the 2011 Chrysler 200 that the elderly American citizen was driving.

CBP officers referred the vehicle for a more in-depth inspection, during which they discovered and extracted a total of 34 wrapped packages of heroin from the vehicle's rocker panels.

"The cartels will try and manipulate anyone to smuggle their narcotics through the ports of entry," San Diego CBP Director of Field Operations Pete Flores said. "CBP officers are aware of the many tactics used by the cartels and remain ever vigilant to stop anyone attempting to smuggle narcotics."

The driver was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further processing. CBP officers seized the vehicle.