A traffic stop on Interstate 5 spiraled into a six-hour manhunt on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, ending with the seizure of about 51 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl after two suspects drove onto the base and sparked a security lockdow
At 5:40 p.m. Thursday, an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 5 in San Diego County turned into a long, tense search inside a major Marine Corps installation.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies tried to stop a vehicle along the highway. Sgt. Lizbeth Gwisdalla said the driver exited the highway. then when a deputy got out to approach the stopped vehicle. the driver drove onto Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. “Our deputies did not go in, but they let military personnel know that he was on the base,” Gwisdalla said.
The move brought Naval Criminal Investigative Service officials into the hunt. In a press release, NCIS said the two suspects entered Camp Pendleton in Oceanside through a base gate. Investigators said the suspects left their vehicle in base housing.
NCIS launched a search across the camp and issued a temporary shelter-in-place order as the investigation unfolded. Camp officials say about 38,000 military family members live in base housing complexes. They also note daytime populations can reach about 70,000 military and civilian personnel.
As the hours passed, about 30 camp personnel tracked the suspects during the six-hour manhunt. During the investigation, authorities found about 51 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl inside the runaway vehicle.
Gwisdalla said federal authorities will oversee the investigation, and the suspects are likely to face federal charges. The suspects have not been identified.
Camp Pendleton cocaine fentanyl NCIS shelter-in-place Orange County Sheriff’s Department Interstate 5 Oceanside Marine Corps base