Traffic Stop Yields 13 Pounds of Meth

A San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested a woman on Monday afternoon for transporting 13 pounds of methamphetamine after she was stopped for driving suspiciously.

Maria Garcia

According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, Deputy Al Barger and his K9 Jack were traveling northbound on Highway 101 on the Cuesta Grade when he noticed a car in front of him make several abrupt lane changes.

The deputy ran the license plate and discovered the registration on the car had expired. He stopped the car that contained the driver, 32 year-old Maria Guadalupe Garcia from Anaheim, and her three children.

Barger asked Garcia if she had any drugs in the car and if he could search the car. Garcia consented and removed her three children from the car.

Barger had Jack sniff the car and the K9 indicated there were drugs present in the back seat area. Noticing the back seat was loose, Barger removed it, exposing a metal plate above the gas tank that was missing a screw. Barger removed the metal plate and discovered plastic packages floating in the gas tank. He removed a total of 13 one-pound packages of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $228,000.

Garcia was arrested and booked into SLO County Jail for possession of a controlled substance for sale and transporting a controlled substance. Her bail is set at $1,000,000. Prior to her arrest, Garcia had a criminal history of transporting drugs.

Garcia was also charged with three counts of child endangerment. Her three children, ages 15, 12 and 5, were turned over to SLO County Child Protective Services.

Read More:

1) San Luis Obispo Tribune: 13 Pounds of Meth Found in Gas Tank of Woman’s Car, Authorities Say

2) KSBY6: Sheriff’s K9 Helps Make Drug Bust