Fentanyl drug bust nets 300K pills, 11 lbs. of powder worth $5M pulled from SUV's gas tank

NEW YORK CITY (WLS) -- Federal agents seized 300,000 pills and 11 lbs. of powder fentanyl in a Bronx drug bust, hidden in the gas tank of an SUV.

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.