Merced CHP Reportedly Confiscates $1.3 Million Worth of Cocaine During Traffic Stop; Two Arrested
Above: Suspected cocaine confiscated during traffic stop
Photo credit: CHP Merced
Two individuals from Oregon were arrested in Merced County after a CHP officer reportedly discovered a large amount of cocaine during a traffic stop.
In a press release, the Merced division of the California Highway Patrol announced that their officers had seized approximately 37 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 on Sept. 7.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of $1.3 million, were discovered after an officer conducted an enforcement stop on a white Jeep Cherokee for a traffic violation on northbound I-5, north of State Route 152, just after 6 p.m.
During the stop, the officer developed probable cause to search the vehicle.
The two occupants, Tyler Lee Smith, 24, of Philomath, Oregon, and Angel Pacheco, 20, of Albany, Oregon, were arrested.
Both were booked into the Merced County jail on suspicion of possession of cocaine for sale, transportation of cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
