Justin De La Torre, the Border Patrol chief for San Diego, California, announced that collaboration between Arizona’s Blythe Station agents and La Paz County deputies resulted in the arrest of a Salvadoran national and the seizure of 20 pounds of cocaine along Interstate 10. This statement was made on X.
“What happens when local and federal law enforcement agencies work together,” said De La Torre. “This: an illegal alien arrested for smuggling 20 pounds of cocaine. Blythe Station agents responded to a request for assistance from the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office during a vehicle stop along Interstate 10 near Quartzsite, Arizona and determined the driver of a vehicle was a national of El Salvador. A subsequent canine sniff of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of 20 pounds of cocaine in the vehicle’s trunk.”
According to De La Torre’s post on X, this operation reflects an official message from the Yuma Sector detailing how Blythe Station agents supported La Paz County Sheriff’s deputies during a traffic stop near Quartzsite, Arizona. After the vehicle was stopped, Border Patrol determined that the driver was an El Salvador national illegally present in the U.S. A drug-detection canine alerted authorities to the vehicle, leading to a search that uncovered approximately 20 pounds of cocaine hidden in the trunk. Deputies took custody of the driver, vehicle, and narcotics while Border Patrol lodged a federal immigration detainer so he can face inadmissibility and deportation after his state case concludes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement statistics indicate that cocaine remains a significant threat confronting Border Patrol nationwide. The CBP’s drug seizure dashboards and enforcement reports show that thousands of pounds of cocaine are seized each year at ports of entry and through highway interdictions like the Blythe–Quartzsite stop. Fiscal year 2024 checkpoint data recorded hundreds of pounds of cocaine seized in just two months, highlighting how interior enforcement along major corridors such as Interstate 10 complements traditional port inspections.
Interstate 10 in La Paz County is identified as a major drug trafficking route linking the Southwest border to Phoenix, California, and beyond. Arizona agencies prioritize highway interdiction due to repeated large seizures along I-10. State data shows significant seizures including multi-hundred-pound loads of methamphetamine and cocaine intercepted by law enforcement at checkpoints and during patrols. The Arizona Department of Public Safety recently reported seizing over 900 pounds of illegal drugs in one week through traffic stops.
De La Torre is a veteran U.S. Border Patrol leader with over 25 years securing the Southwest border. A native of San Diego, he began his career at Imperial Beach Station in 2000 and has since held various demanding roles including leadership positions across multiple sectors. In January 2025, he became chief patrol agent for the Yuma Sector overseeing about 126 miles of border in Arizona and California; by November 2025 he was introduced as chief patrol agent for San Diego Sector.
