Meth found inside traditional Mexican wooden toys

MEXICO CITY – Federal police in western Mexico have found a shipment of about 3 1/2 pounds (1.6 kilograms) of methamphetamines hidden inside traditional Mexican cup-and-ball toys known as “baleros.”

Police say the toys were found at a package shipment facility in the western state of Jalisco, and were being shipped to an address in North Carolina.

The balero is a toy formed by a wooden cylinder with a handle that fits in one side.

The handle and cylinder are joined by a piece of twine, and children jerk the handle to make the cylinder fall onto the handle.

Police said Friday the meth was found inside the hollowed-out cores of eight of the painted cylinders. An x-ray inspection had showed suspicious substances inside.