Customs officers find liquid meth hidden inside dreamcatchers

COLUMBUS, N.M., Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced officers in New Mexico found 1.6 pounds of liquid meth hidden inside Native American-style dreamcatchers.

The agency said officers with the Office of Field Operations in Columbus said a 2000 Dodge Neon bearing a woman and two young girls entered the country from Mexico about 2 p.m. Sunday and a drug-sniffing dog at the port indicated something was amiss about six dreamcatchers, woven objects created by some Native American tribes that are purported to bring the owner good dreams.

Officers discovered the dreamcatchers' rings were made of rubber tubing that contained a liquid substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

"This is one of the most unusual smuggling episodes we have ever encountered," CBP Columbus Port Director Robert Reza said. "Smugglers will try to conceal their drug loads in everyday items like soft drink cans, framed artwork and other seemingly innocent items. CBP utilizes numerous inspection techniques that help identify and stop these shipments."

The 25-year-old woman, a resident of Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, was arrested and is expected to face drug smuggling charges.

The girls, ages 1 and 8, were turned over to the custody of a relative.