Merced CHP reports finding 21 pounds of cocaine during traffic stop

A couple from Alameda County remain in custody in the John Latoracca Correctional Center after the California Highway Patrol found 21 pounds of cocaine in the couple’s vehicle, the CHP reported.

A Merced CHP officer stopped a white Toyota Tacoma that was northbound on Highway 99 near Franklin Road for a speeding violation a little after 7 p.m. Tuesday, the CHP said. Guillermo Antuna, 53, and his wife, Olga Oralia Duarte, 51, of San Leandro were in the vehicle.

Signs of criminal activity led the officer to ask to search the vehicle, to which the couple consented, the CHP said. A K-9 sniffed out narcotics in the vehicle, and the officer found two hidden compartments that held 21 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $600,000, the CHP said.

The Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Team also responded to the incident and is helping with the ongoing investigation.

Antuna and Oralia Duarte were booked into the Merced County jail on charges of possession of cocaine for sale, transportation of cocaine and transportation of cocaine through nine counties, authorities said. Both are being held on more than $1,070,000 bail.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Merced CHP reports finding 21 pounds of cocaine during traffic stop."