A significant discovery was made by a California Highway Patrol officer on April 27 in Merced County. The officer found 15 pounds of cocaine, valued at approximately $700,000, hidden in almond bags inside a car that was pulled over on I-5.
The incident occurred when the officer stopped a 2010 Subaru for a routine traffic violation at around 3:15 p.m. on I-5 at State Route 140, located about 30 miles west of Merced. During the traffic stop, the officer became suspicious and decided to conduct a search with the help of a K-9 unit.
Officer Gregorio Rodriguez from the Merced Office stated, “It was just a normal traffic stop. Thatâs kind of what usually happens. Something was out of the ordinary. The officer did see some criminal indicators and the dog hit on the bags of almonds.”
The search revealed that the cocaine was divided into 1-kilogram portions and cleverly concealed within almond bags. The driver, Angel Lopez Velasco, 20, from Mt. Vernon, Wash., and his passenger, Jenifer Cisneros, 20, from Burlington, Wash., were both arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of drug-related charges.
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The case was then handed over to the Merced Area Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team for further investigation. This specialized unit comprises members from state and county law enforcement agencies and focuses on combating drug-related crimes in the region.
