'Unusually Solid' Headrests Lead To Major Temecula Drug Bust

TEMECULA, CA — A 54-year-old man accused of transporting more than $235,000 worth of cocaine and fentanyl — enough to kill millions of people — into Riverside County was charged Friday with two counts of possession of controlled substances for sale and other drug charges, according to Border Patrol officials and court records.

Jose Isabel Ramirez was arrested Wednesday by U.S. Border Patrol agents after a traffic stop on Interstate 15 in Temecula. Along with the possession counts, he is charged with two counts of transportation of narcotics for sale and sentence-enhancing allegations of possessing more than one kilogram of cocaine.

Ramirez pleaded not guilty, and Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 21 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

According to Border Patrol officials, Ramirez was driving a "suspicious" 2009 Ford Escape when he was stopped around 5:15 p.m.

"Noticing that the backseat headrests were unusually solid, agents searched and located two metal boxes embedded in the headrests," the agency said in a news release.

Inside those boxes, agents found 12 plastic-wrapped packages of drugs — nine containing a total of 22 pounds of fentanyl, "which is enough doses to kill more than 5 million people," Border Patrol Agent Theron Francisco said in a news release.

The other three packages had cocaine inside, Francisco said. Together, the fentanyl and cocaine have an estimated street value of $236,400.

The seized drugs and investigation were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Ramirez, who has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center.

City News Service contributed to this report