Border Patrol: We'll Help with the Flat Tire, But We're Taking the Pot

A woman who stopped for help with a flat tire at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint Tuesday had 141 pounds of pot stuffed in her wheels, according to a release from the patrol.

At about 11:30 a.m., a 24-year-old woman, a U.S. citizen, asked for help with a flat tire at the I-5 border checkpoint south of San Clemente. 

As she pulled over, the release states, agents noticed something banging around inside the tire. Agents brought out a drug dog, which indicated the presence of drugs. The woman gave agents permission to search her 2002 Nissan Xterra, and they found 24 bundles of marijuana in steel cases wrapped around the wheels.

The bundles weighed 140.99 pounds and had an estimated street value of $211,485, according to the release. 

The suspected smuggler and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation, the release stated. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.