October 4, 2024 – Orange County Sheriff's Department officials report that over the past year, the OC Sheriff’s Highway Interdiction Team (HIT) has partnered with the California Border Patrol as part of the Vehicle Interdiction Pipeline Enforcement Resource (VIPER) Task Force.  VIPER’s mission is to identify, disrupt and arrest drug trafficking organizations that regularly use the highways and trafficking routes to further their criminal enterprise.

VIPER recently had two significant seizures, pulling dangerous narcotics off the streets.

On September 12, HIT deputies stopped a driver on the 5 north at Basilone road in the city of San Clemente.  The driver was transporting approximately 442,240 fentanyl pills, 2.4 pounds of fentanyl powder, 22.9 pounds of methamphetamine, and 7.9 pounds of cocaine.  The driver was booked into jail on drug transportation charges. 

A week later, on September 19, @cbpgov agents stopped another driver at the same location and found 447,100 suspected fentanyl pills in trash bags in the trunk of his vehicle.  The driver was booked into jail on drug transportation charges. 

Great work by the deputies and agents who work diligently to effectively disrupt the flow of narcotics into Orange County and keep our communities safe.

Source & photos: Orange County Sheriff's Department