Nogales border agents find extra cylinders in this vehicle: cocaine

A vehicle stopped at a Nogales border crossing had a few extra cylinders under the hood, federal authorities said.

On April 20, Customs and Border Protection agents at the Mariposa crossing searched a vehicle and discovered several cylinders of cocaine hidden in the vehicle's drive shaft, the CBP said in a news release.

Agents arrested the 25-year-old Mexican national driver. Agents found 16 pounds of cocaine worth about $180,000 packaged inside the drive shaft.

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This was one of three significant busts at Nogales crossings that day:

• At the Mariposa crossing officers found 20 pounds of cocaine in a Volkswagen driven by a 44-year-old Mexican national. The drugs, worth about $223,000, were found in a rear speaker compartment.
• At about the same time, CBP agents seized 24 pounds of cocaine and more than 40 pounds of meth hidden in a Pontiac sedan driven by a 66-year-old Honduran woman. The drugs, worth a total of about $390,000, were found in a rear door panel.

The drugs and vehicles were seized and the drivers were arrested.