Framed: Cops find drugs in US paintings

ARIZONA - It wasn't the beauty of the paintings that caught of the eye of Customs agents.

It was their drug-sniffing dog turning up his nose at the art that stopped the show.

Federal officials in Arizona say a man was taken into custody after Customs and Border Protection officers found 40kg of marijuana hidden in the frames of six large paintings in his vehicle.

Officers selected the man's vehicle for a routine inspection at the border crossing in Douglas, Arizona, and their dog showed an interest in the paintings.

An X-ray revealed the marijuana in the frames.

The agency says the paintings were professionally done and the frames were nicely constructed.

- AP