The haul is worth $5 million. Federal agents said the bust revealed a new tactics cartels are using to smuggle drugs into the United States.
The red Ford Expedition with Texas license plates stopped in the Bronx. A task force of DEA agents and New York police officers discovered a hidden compartment leading to the gas tank from inside the SUV.
Submerged in the tank, agents found 300,000 blue fake oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, and 5 kilograms, or more than 11 lbs., of powdered fentanyl in vacuum-sealed packages.
Federal officials believe the drugs originated in Mexico and investigators said the vehicle has crossed the U.S.-Mexico border multiple times.
Driver Enrique Perez, 44, of Columbus, Ohio was taken into custody and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $200,000.