United States customs officials have seized a statue of Jesus Christ made from plaster mixed with cocaine – the latest sophisticated attempt to smuggle drugs from Mexico.

Sniffer dogs at the border crossing in Laredo, Texas, alerted officials to the smell of narcotics in the 3 kilogram statue, which was in the trunk of a car being driven by a Mexican woman into the United States last week.

“The statue tested positive for cocaine,” Nancy Herrera, an official at the US Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas said.