Border Patrol agents in southeastern San Diego County found 51 pounds of cocaine hidden in the gas tank of a Nissan Sentra, federal authorities said Thursday.
The cocaine, wrapped in 20 bundles, was worth an estimated $513,700, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The coke was discovered after a 22-year-old woman was pulled over at a checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley. The packages were uncovered by agents with the help of a drug-sniffing dog, authorities said.
The woman's name was not released. She is a United States citizen.
The woman and cocaine were turned over to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
