'Speeding' car: 50 pounds of meth found in hybrid's gas tank

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Border Patrol agents in California announced the discovery of nearly 50 pounds of meth in an unusual hiding spot -- the gas tank of a hybrid car.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 checkpoint searched a 19-year-old U.S. man's vehicle about 3:40 a.m. Monday when a dog team detected drugs in the undercarriage area of the car.

The man's gas tank was found to contain 30 packages of methamphetamine weighing in at a total 43.46 pounds. The drugs had an estimated street value of $173,840.

The driver could apparently afford to give up room inside his fuel tank, as he was driving a 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid.

The man, his car, and the drugs were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.