Liquid meth found in gas tank at HWY 86 checkpoint

Border patrol agents discover liquid methamphetamine hidden in the gas tank of a pickup truck.

The 1997 Ford F-250 truck drove through the Highway 86 checkpoint Sunday morning. A K9 team alerted agents to the vehicle, leading to it being sent to secondary inspection.

During secondary inspection, the K9 prompted agents to look at the driver’s side of the vehicle. Agents used a fiberscope camera to search the vehicles two gas tanks. In one of the gas tanks, agents spotted a liquid that they thought did not look like gasoline. Agents tested the substance, which tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine.

According to border patrol, the narcotics weighed approximately 75 pounds with an estimated street value of $198,750.

The driver, Rene Elizalde, 22, a U.S. citizen, the vehicle, and the narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

“Liquid methamphetamine is an extremely dangerous form of the narcotic and thankfully our agents were able to prevent it from advancing further into the United States,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “Our communities are much safer with these drugs off our streets.”