Shades of a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE fake-out in this excellent adventure, and written by one of the show's writers, Edward J. Lakso. You can see it coming, right off the bat.
Poor Barnaby is used Big Time, hired by a woman named Eleanor (well played by Christine Belford), who wants him to find her father in Mexico. The real deal is to smuggle heroin. So how do they do it? The drug kings secure the heroin (and very cleverly) in his car, and who would suspect Barnaby Jones of being a drug dealer. Definite shades of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, where many stories involved smuggling, especially in vehicles.
Barnaby truly finds himself in a tight spot, a rare incident, and with some very interesting characters.
Super cast lead by smooth bad guy Lloyd Bochner as a drug buyer, also Nico Minardos as a drug lord. Terrific casting. Also look for popular character actor Richard X. Slattery (as Eddie) and dramatic actor Michael Blodgett (as Kirk).
An original story you can't miss, and with a change of scenery (backlot and the High Desert). Top direction by Virgil W. Vogel, best known for the FBI for years, also STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO.
To add to the last reviewers comment about Barnaby's big Ford LTD. Producer Quinn Martin had a long term contract with Ford, going back to his years with the FUGITIVE in the 60s. So all their latest models were in his shows. Probably the best example was the FBI; Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Drove many sporty Mustangs and T-birds season after season. Not to forget Cannon's famous silver Lincoln. Barnaby had his beautiful brown Ford LTD, but according to notes, a second Sport model was also used in this episode.
Best of SEASON 1 EPISODE 6. Remastered color CBS/Paramount dvd box set. First box set (according to Amazon) with 4 dvds released 2010. Second set released 2016, not doubt when METV began running the series.