SAN JOSE — A 17-year-old boy from Mexico was arrested on New Year’s Eve at Mineta San Jose International Airport after he tried to smuggle more than one gallon of liquid methamphetamine into the country, according to federal authorities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers searched the boy’s baggage and discovered five one-liter tequila bottles containing a clear liquid. Laboratory tests confirmed that the liquid was methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $500,000, according to federal agents.

The boy flew from Mexico to San Jose on the afternoon of Dec. 31.

The methamphetamine was seized and the boy was turned over to the San Jose Police Department, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Frank Falcon, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said drug cartels often “test us and see what they can get away with.”

Contact Mark Gomez at 408-920-5869. Follow him on Twitter @MarkMgomez.