Border patrol in El Paso finds $3.9 million worth of liquid meth in pickup's gas tank

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents in El Paso on Friday were surprised to find out that the smell coming from the gas tank of a pickup wasn't gas — it was liquid methamphetamine worth almost $4 million in street value.

Officers seized 164.5 pounds of liquid meth with an estimated street value of $3,948,000, according to Customs and Border Patrol official Beverly Good.

They arrested the driver of the 1989 Chevrolet pickup, a 37-year-old male from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, and turned him over to Homeland Security to face charges after the failed smuggling attempt.

“Smugglers spent considerable time and effort to conceal this liquid meth load,” Good said. “This seizure proves again that smugglers will use any available space in a vehicle to hide their contraband.”

The available space in this case was the gas tank compartment, where officers discovered six containers of the liquid meth.

Officers were performing a sweep when a drug sniffing dog alerted on the vehicle. The dog searched the pickup and alerted to the gas tank area.

This story was originally published March 12, 2018 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Border patrol in El Paso finds $3.9 million worth of liquid meth in pickup's gas tank."