Authorities said Kuykendall bought the car after it sat for more than three years in an impound yard after being towed by Fulton County police in 2006.

Authorities said he was fixing a gas leak when he discovered the secret compartment.

Cherokee officials have called the U.S. Secret Service to help with the case.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

The local “Miss Venezuela” organization — which has landed the South American nation more international pageant titles than any other country — announced on Wednesday it had slashed the number of national competitors to 20 from 30.

“We have had to tighten our belt a bit too,” said Joaquin Riviera, organizer of the annual Miss Venezuela competition, which is wildly popular and draws huge TV audiences.

The next national winner will be chosen on September 24.

“I’ve asked Osmel to be a bit stricter choosing 20 girls, so we only have the best,” Riviera added, referring to local beauty “czar” Osmel Sousa, who prepares the competitors.

Sousa denied the cuts, however, would mean fewer dresses or less plastic surgery for girls competing. Venezuela has one of the highest rates of cosmetic surgery in the world.

Venezuela’s Stefania Fernandez, an 18-year-old brunette, won the Miss Universe 2009 title last month in the Bahamas, giving her country its second win in a row and its sixth in that pageant’s history.

(Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Eric Beech)