Boy accused of smuggling meth in tequila bottles

(01-08) 09:41 PST SAN JOSE -- U.S. customs agents arrested a 17-year-old Mexican boy who tried to camouflage liquid methamphetamine in tequila bottles on a flight into Mineta San Jose International Airport on New Year's Eve, officials said Wednesday.

The teen's baggage was searched after his arrival from Mexico on the afternoon of Dec. 31, and customs agents found five 1-liter bottles containing a clear liquid, said Frank Falcon, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Lab tests confirmed the liquid was methamphetamine with a street value of more than $500,000, he said.

"Fortunately our officers were alert and happened to test it," Falcon said.

Falcon, who described the discovery as unusual for a Bay Area airport, said it was not immediately known whether the individual was acting alone or was part of a larger ring. The teen, whose name was not released, was turned over to San Jose police.