A routine checkpoint search on Interstate 8 on Thursday night led Border Patrol agents in Yuma to an unusual discovery - an alligator stashed in a suitcase. The California man who was reportedly trying to deliver the 4-foot, 4-year-old reptile to a man in Phoenix was cited for possessing restricted wildlife and was taken into custody.

The discovery was made after a drug-sniffing dog was alerted by the marijuana in the man's car. Upon searching the vehicle, the agents found 13 grams of pot, agency spokesman Lloyd Easterling told the Sun newspaper.

When the agents asked the man, if he had anything else inside the car they should know about. "The guy says, 'There's an alligator in there,'" Easterling said. "He says, 'He's in the suitcase there.' And when (the agent) opened the suitcase, sure enough, there was a cayman in there."The man has been charged with possessing restricted wildlife and was taken into custody by state officials in connection with the marijuana possession/trafficking.

Possessing restricted wildlife is a Class 2 misdemeanor and carries penalties of up to four months in jail and up to $750 in fines.

The alligator is being evaluated by the Phoenix Herpetological Society and likely will end up in a zoo or wildlife park.