HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested a 49-year-old man from Houston after discovering $3,260,000 worth of alleged methamphetamine concealed within the SUV he was driving.

“As persistent drug smugglers continue their pursuit of attempting to bring dangerous narcotics across the border, our frontline officers at CBP Field Operations are just as relentless in keeping our communities drug-free,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas.

CBP officers discovered 163 pounds of liquid

methamphetamine within the gas tank of an SUV at

Hidalgo Port of Entry.

On Jan. 30, a CBP officer at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge referred a blue 2002 Ford Expedition and the male U.S. citizen driver for further examination. The secondary inspection, which included the utilization of non-intrusive imaging (NII) equipment allowed the officers to discover alleged liquid methamphetamine hidden within the SUV’s gas tank.

The extraction of the narcotics resulted in 163 pounds (73.94 kg), which were placed in four plastic buckets.

CBP OFO seized the methamphetamine, the vehicle and arrested the Houston native in connection with the failed drug smuggling attempt. The case is being investigated by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

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