Fisherman lands a whopper -- 6-1/2 pounds of meth

More than $60,000 worth of methamphetamine, just under 6-1/2 pounds, was discovered by a fisherman near the banks of the Carson River, making it the bigget drug catch in Carson City history.

"He was merely fishing at the river, but we're certainly thankful that he was so observant," said Scott Burau, spokesman for the Carson City Sheriff's Department. "Police patrol that area on a regular basis, but you could discard something in the bushes and who would ever see it, except maybe a hiker."

The fisherman, who was not identified, made the find near Deer Run Road and turned over a drug-loaded diaper bag to the Carson City Sheriff's Department about 4 p.m. Thursday.

Wrapped tightly in plastic chunks the size of bricks, the drugs were intermingled with with a number of baby items, then hidden in the bushes.

"I think it's pretty apparent that the owners either left the drugs at the drop site to be picked up, or someone was frightened and discarded them. They were probably planning on coming back later," Burau said. " Whoever neglected to pick it up is pretty unhappy at this point."

Following the seizure, lab tests confirmed the caramel-colored bricks were methamphetamine. The evidence is being analyzed and processed in Carson City's crime laboratory and the incident is under investigation, according to Burau.

He said possession of this amount of methamphetamine would constitute felony possession for the purpose of selling.