The Mexican man accused of smuggling over 900 pounds of liquid meth using hidden compartments in a tractor trailer was indicted Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint.
Pedro Sergio Luna-Soto, who was born in 1971, has been indicted on four counts which include importing and attempting to or conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
According to the complaint, Luna entered the U.S. through the Rio Grande City Port of Entry on Sept. 7 where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers referred him to a secondary inspection.
900 pounds of liquid meth found in trailer compartments at Rio Grande City | MyRGV.com
It was then that a K-9 unit conducting a “free air” inspection resulted in a positive alert for a controlled substance, the complaint said.
To further inspect, CBP agents performed a “non-intrusive X-ray” on the vehicle which revealed several anomalies on the passenger and driver side fuel tanks.
The agents also observed a leak on the passenger side fuel tank where the liquid began to crystallize, which tested positive for characteristics of methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
“Further inspection revealed false aftermarket compartments in both passenger and driver side fuel tanks filled with a liquid substance,” the complaint said. “CBPOs field tested the liquid substance inside the false compartments, which presumptively tested positive for the properties and characteristics of methamphetamine.”
According to the document, the total weight of the suspected liquid methamphetamine is 915 pounds.
During an interview with authorities, Luna made conflicting statements and when it was found he had erased all call logs and conversations from his cellphone, he said his wife caught him cheating with another woman so she gave him another phone.
Luna is set to be arraigned before Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis on Oct. 14.
