Nebraska Driver Thought He Had Perfect Hiding Spot For Meth

A Wednesday morning traffic stop in eastern Nebraska yielded authorities a large haul of meth, in what to most of us would seem like the most unlikely of places. However, not to those who know what they're looking for.

According to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office in Lincoln, a Chevy Trailblazer SUV was stopped on I-80 at approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday morning due to the vehicle following too close and having a cracked windshield.

After receiving approval to search the vehicle by the driver, and lone occupant, members of the Criminal and Addiction Unit made a big discovery. It was well hidden inside one of the largest parts of a vehicle.

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Inside the gas tank of the vehicle, which had Idaho plates, was 27 pounds of methamphetamine. It was tightly wrapped and sealed in bags.

*The top photo in this story shows the meth floating in the gas tank. The photo above shows the gas tank and all the meth that was recovered from inside it.

33-year-old Geovany Mercado was arrested and charged in the case. Authorities say he was transporting the meth to Omaha.

While the methamphetamine found in Nebraska on Wednesday may seem like a huge amount, it's nothing compared to what authorities found in California earlier this week.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol agents working at a checkpoint in Indio, California found a gigantic amount of liquid meth at about 2:45 p.m. on Monday. It was also in the gas tank of an SUV.

A K-9 alerted to the vehicle, and it was sent to another inspection point. That's where agents found "a suspicious crystallized liquid inside the tank. Subsequent testing of the liquid confirmed the presence of methamphetamine."

In the California case, the gas tank contained 218 pounds of the liquid meth. The street value of the product was estimated at $328,000.

The 21-year-old driver, his vehicle, and the drugs were all turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Five years ago, authorities in Texas discovered 71 pounds of methamphetamine packed inside a gas tank that had been modified.