A teenager from Mexico has been arrested after federal agents say they found him with more than a gallon of liquid methamphetamine at Mineta San Jose International Airport hidden in five tequila bottles on New Year's Eve.
San Francisco-based U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Frank Falcon said agents arrested the 17-year-old, who is a Mexican national, on Dec. 31 after they conducted a field test, and then a follow-up lab test, on the liquid inside the tequila bottles, which were stashed in his bags.
"The officers may have felt something was suspicious about the bottles or the passenger, which prompted them to test the bottles," Falcon told NBC Bay Area. Lab tests confirmed the clear liquid was meth, valued at about $500,000.
The boy was turned over to San Jose police. His photo was not released because he is a juvenile, and Falcon was not able to provide a photo of the tequila bottles.
"Nationwide, we see liquid meth taken across the border," Falcon said. "But not necessarily hidden in tequila bottles."
