09:25 AM PST on Friday, December 17, 2010

By SARAH BURGE
The Press-Enterprise

A 19-year-old man was arrested Thursday in Temecula after Border Patrol agents discovered more than two pounds of heroin in bags -- mixed with a concoction of grease, detergent and potatoes -- in the battery of the car he was driving, authorities said.

Agents stopped a Volkswagen Jetta near the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 15 about 11:30 a.m. after noticing it was driving erratically, a Border Patrol news release said. The driver appeared nervous and gave inconsistent answers. A sniffer dog "alerted" to drugs in the car, the release said.

In this photo provided by the Border Patrol, agents on Interstate 15 in Temecula found heroin bundles -- a total of 2.3 pounds -- mixed with a weird concoction of potatoes, grease and detergent in a car's battery. The smuggler apparently thought those items would mask the scent of the drugs.

Agents noticed the battery showed signs of tampering. Inside, they found 2.3 pounds of heroin.

The potatoes, grease and detergent were apparently intended to mask the odors of the drugs.

The heroin and the driver, a Mexican national whose name was not disclosed, were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Reach Sarah Burge at 951-375-3736 or sburge@PE.com

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