Truck’s extra gas tank hid over 140 pounds of meth and cocaine in California, feds say

A pickup truck’s extra gas tank concealed more than 140 pounds of drug at a California border crossing, federal officials reported.

Officers at the Tecate crossing from Mexico stopped a 28-year-old man driving a 2005 pickup truck at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 15, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.

Officers found “irregularities” in the vehicle’s second fuel tank in the cargo area and a K-9 alerted its handlers to narcotics in the tank, the release said.

Officers found 50 bags of methamphetamine and 10 bags of cocaine hidden in the auxiliary gas tank, weighing 144 pounds in all, the release said.

The drugs had an estimated street value of nearly $500,000, officials said.

The driver was turned over to Homeland Security, the release said.

Tecate is about 45 miles southeast of San Diego.

This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Truck’s extra gas tank hid over 140 pounds of meth and cocaine in California, feds say."