$800K+ in narcotics found in truck spare tire in Salton City

SALTON CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested two people after discovering more than $800,000 in narcotics hidden inside a truck's spare tire in the Salton City area.

A male driver and a female passenger in a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado approached the Highway 86 checkpoint around 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

During the preliminary inspection by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents, the K-9 team signaled that the car may require further inspection.

Upon thorough investigation, agents found 12 packages tucked away in the inner lining of the car's spare tire. Nine packages tested positive for cocaine, and the remaining three tested positive for methamphetamine.

Officials said the narcotics had a combined weight of 72.60 pounds - 67.20 pounds were cocaine and 5.4 pounds were meth. The cocaine had an estimated street value of $806,400, and the meth had an estimated street value of $21,600, authorities said.

The man, a U.S. citizen, and the woman, a Mexican citizen, were arrested. The two, plus the car and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.