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Report: U.S. Customs seize YouTube records in drug case

Greg Sandoval Former Staff writer
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.
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Greg Sandoval

Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement served a search warrant on YouTube and Hotmail as authorities looked into alleged death threats made against a potential witness in a drug case, according to a report.

A man arrested in May 2005 for allegedly trying to sneak 50 pounds of cocaine into the U.S. is suspected of sending death threats to his brother via YouTube, according to the online news site eWeek.

The suspect's brother is cooperating with U.S. authorities, eWeek said, citing a copy of one of the search warrants. The suspect allegedly sent the threats posted on YouTube to his brother's son.

The suspect was arrested in May 2005 while trying to cross the Mexico-California border, according to eWeek. U.S. agents allegedly discovered the cocaine in a spare tire of the man's car.

In Mexico, posting threats on YouTube has become very popular. Some of the country's most notorious gangs have uploaded clips of assassinations, beatings and other criminal activity in an apparent effort to intimidate each other.

Representatives from YouTube could not be immediately reached.