Texas woman busted with $1.6M in meth

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Border patrol agents say they arrested a Texas woman who was trying to come into the United States with more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine in her tires.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made the find in El Paso.  The say the 46-year-old Dallas woman drove into the country alone in a Chevy Trailblazer.

A sniffing dog searched the vehicle and smelled something suspicious.  Agents then scanned the vehicle with an x-ray system and spotted something odd in the rear tires.

Officers removed the tires and found custom manufactured metal collars bolted to the rims of the wheels. The metal collars were cut open revealing a dozen methamphetamine-filled bundles.

“Smugglers spared no expense in their efforts to cross this sizeable drug load,” said Beverly Good, CBP El Paso Port Director in a news release.

Matilda Perez was turned over to ICE to face various charges.

The estimated street value of the drugs is $1,625,600, according to the agency.