Border Patrol Agents Find $120K Worth of Liquid Meth Near Temecula

Images, left to right: Photo #1: On Tuesday evening, agents on patrol observed a white 2008 Ford Taurus near Temecula; Photo #2: A subsequent search of the Taurus revealed two bottles of liquid meth inside the trunk, agents said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents working near Temecula this week caught men trying to smuggle an estimated $120,000 worth of liquid meth, agents said Friday.

It happened on Tuesday and involved a 2008 Ford Taurus that was driving on Interstate 15, according to U.S. Border Patrol Spokeswoman Mary Beth Caston.

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“When the Taurus pulled into a service station, agents approached the 35-year-old driver and his two male companions,” Caston said.

They asked the driver to see his license, but he didn’t have one since it’d been revoked, according to Caston.

That was the first red flag.

“When agents questioned the two passengers about their trip and destination, their answers conflicted with those given by the driver,” Caston said. “A records check also revealed that one of the men had been previously deported and was in the U.S. illegally.”

Second red flag.

“A K-9 sniff of the Taurus sedan resulted in a positive alert,” Caston said. “Agents searched the car and discovered two Castrol motor-oil cans filled with liquid meth in the trunk.”

That much liquid meth is worth approximately $120,000, according to the border patrol.

The driver was arrested and turned over to the sheriff’s department, and is now facing state charges, according to Caston.

“The previously deported passenger is being returned to Mexico and the second passenger was released,” she said.

The vehicle was seized by border officials.