Hoyt Arrested for Drug Smuggling

SAN DIEGO — Padre pitcher LaMarr Hoyt was arrested Tuesday night at the San Ysidro border crossing by U.S. Customs agents when he allegedly tried to bring hundreds of illegal pills into the United States, a Customs spokesman said.

Mike Fleming, public affairs officer for the U.S. Customs Pacific Region, said Hoyt was stopped as he walked across the border from Mexico about 7 p.m.

According to Fleming, an inspector got suspicious when he noticed a bulge in Hoyt’s clothing and took Hoyt to a secondary inspection area for a pat-down search. The search revealed two plastic bags in Hoyt’s groin area containing 322 Valium tablets, 169 Quaaludes, and 30 unidentified tablets, Fleming said.

Fleming said Hoyt was taken into custody by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Customs agents. He was arrested for investigation of smuggling controlled substances and taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego, Fleming said.