Police Discover Nine Pounds of Meth Hidden in Fire Extinguishers

BAKERSFIELD — Kern County Sheriff’s deputies said they have arrested one person after discovering nine pounds of methamphetamine hidden in fire extinguishers.

Confiscated drugs

Luis Perez-Salinas, 32, from Guadalajara, Mexico, was booked into the Kern County Jail for possession for sales of methamphetamine and other charges after an investigation led deputies of the Major Violators Unit to the Travelers Lodge Motel fire extinguishers located at 1011 Oak St. in central Bakersfield at around noon on July 2.

As deputies gained entry to Salinas’ motel room, he fled out the back door, where he was eventually taken into custody by another group of deputies who were waiting outside.

Salinas was carrying a large bag containing clothing and three fire extinguishers at the time he was arrested.

After a closer inspection of the fire extinguishers, deputies discovered they were from Tijuana and appeared to have been altered.

“Deputies noticed that the extinguishers also had Spanish writing on them,” a sherriff’s spokesperson said.

Police said they also noticed that the gauges on the extinguishers showed they were fully charged, but were not.

After being cut open by the Kern County Fire Department, it was revealed that each extinguisher was stuffed almost completely full with a bag of approximately three pounds of methamphetamine in each extinguisher.

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KERO: Sheriffs deputies find 9 pounds of meth hidden in fire extinguishers