September 20, 2007 Nogales, Arizona
U.S. Customs/Border Patrol find "liquid meth" in a gas tank of a pickup

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales port of entry stopped a unique attempt at smuggling narcotics into the country yesterday when they found "liquid" methamphetamines in the gas tank of a 1984 Chevy pickup.

At a little past noon yesterday, CBP officers were performing anti-terrorism and anti-smuggling operations at the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales when they encountered a 45-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora entering from Mexico. During routine questioning, the officer asking questions became suspicious of the driver and decided the vehicle needed a more intensive inspection.

The vehicle was sent to a secondary inspection area where a CBP narcotics canine alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle. CBP officers searching the vehicle discovered that one of the gas tanks contained what turned out to be a liquid form of methamphetamines. The narcotics, more than eight pounds, were seized along with the vehicle. The driver, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution.

Source: US Customs