Customs officers at Houston Intercontinental Airport found 66.3 pounds of meth hidden inside canned foods. Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Customs agents inspecting cargo shipments at a Texas airport said they found 66.3 pounds of meth hidden inside canned foods.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officer and agriculture specialists were inspecting a shipment of canned foods from Mexico at Houston Intercontinental Airport on Tuesday and discovered a can of tomato puree had irregular weight distribution.


The can was opened and a liquid substance that started crystallizing inside tested positive for methamphetamine.

More meth was found inside cans of tomato puree, hominy and mole, officials said.

The 66.3 pounds of meth had an estimated street value of $225,000.

"This particular seizure illustrates how well trained, experienced and committed to our mission that our CBP agriculture specialists are," Houston Area Port Director Raymond S. Polley said. "His attention to detail resulted in the prevention of over 66 pounds of methamphetamines from ending up in the hands of our community."