DOUGLAS – Call it oil on canvas and marijuana.
A Phoenix man was taken into custody after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found 90 pounds of pot hidden within the frames of six large paintings he was trying to get into Arizona from Mexico, official said.
The officers selected the 55-year-old man’s vehicle for a routine inspection on Friday and became suspicious when a drug-sniffing dog alerted them to the paintings.
An X-ray of the frames revealed 90 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $153,000, officials said.
The agency said the paintings were professionally done and the frames were nicely constructed.
The man, whose name was not released, was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.