ODESSA MAN SUSPECTED OF SMUGGLING 'CHEESE' LET GO

Just like a good Swiss cheese, the case against an Odessa man detained
on suspicion of drug trafficking by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
agents in El Paso was full of holes.

The 40-year-old man was detained at the Paso del Norte Bridge on
Tuesday when sniffing dogs found 44 pounds of a granular product
officials believed was "cheese" -- an emerging street drug made with
heroin, Tylenol and Benadryl.

But after further lab testing, customs officials said on Thursday that
no heroin or any other illegal substance was found in the packages
seized at the bridge.

The detained man was released immediately, customs spokesman Roger
Maier said.

"Unfortunately, there was a set of events that led us to believe that
this was the actual controlled substance," Maier said.

"The important thing for us now is that as soon as we determined that
it was not heroin, we set the record straight."

Maier said the man's truck was sent to secondary inspection at the
bridge Tuesday afternoon when drug-sniffing dogs identified a
controlled substance.

Officers found 20 clear plastic bags hidden behind the front seat, and
the bags tested positive for heroin during field testing.

"We now have to determine why it tested positive (for heroin) here and
not in our labs," Maier said.

Maier added that it's still uncertain what the granular substance is,
but that officials believe it was not intended to be used in any
illegal manner.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said "cheese" is commonly snorted
and causes euphoria, disorientation, lethargy, sleepiness and hunger.

It costs about $5 per quarter-gram and has become popular among
middle- and high-school drug users.

Officials in the El Paso and Socorro independent school districts said
they were aware of the presence of "cheese" in schools in other cities
but have reported no instances of its use in El Paso.

The police chiefs in both districts said they are working on
prevention.

"We hope that by being proactive and providing training to our
teachers and staff, we can prevent any major use of it among our
students," EPISD Police Chief Armando Nava said.