SAN CLEMENTE -- Border patrol agents this week seized about $250,000 worth of meth hidden in the engine of a pickup truck, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Wednesday.

About 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, San Diego Border Patrol agents stopped a Ford F-150 pickup going north on Interstate 5 near their San Clemente checkpoint, officials said. After a drug-sniffing dog signaled it smelled something in the engine, agents discovered a secret compartment that contained 10 bags of crystal methamphetamine weighing 11 pounds, with an estimated street value of $253,500.

The driver, a 35-year-old American man, was arrested and later turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the drugs, officials said. The pickup was seized by the Border Patrol.