Officials find 4 bottles of mystery liquid during smuggling bust

By Alexis Huicochea

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/142724.php

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.18.2006

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Authorities are trying to determine what mysterious liquid was inside four one-liter bottles that were found during a drug smuggling bust near Rio Rico Thursday morning.

The bottles, which were marked "ether," had been previously opened and were emanating an odor, prompting a hazardous materials situation, said Jesus Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Tucson sector Border Patrol.

Agents came across the bottles after spotting a group of about 20 people around a vehicle in the Caralampi Canyon area, which is southwest of Rio Rico, Rodriguez said.

When agents approached the group, everyone ran away, abandoning a vehicle with approximately 370 pounds of marijuana and two assault rifles, he said.

While searching the immediate area around 8:30 a.m., the agents found two more bundles of marijuana, along with two illegal entrants, Rodriguez said.

The bottles were attached to one of the bundles, he said. Because the bottles appeared to have been opened before, authorities had no way of knowing if they did actually contain ether.

The two illegal entrants that were caught told the agents they did not know what was inside the bottles, but that the person who was guiding them was very adamant about no one touching the bottles, threatening to hurt anyone who did, Rodriguez said.

Hazardous material teams from Rio Rico and the Department of Public Safety were called to the scene, he said. DPS took samples of the liquid and determined that it did not contain ether.

The liquid was taken to a DPS lab for further analysis and proper disposal, Rodriguez said.

Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at ahuicochea@azstarnet.com or (520) 629-9412.

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