$50,000 in suspected meth seized in Merced County traffic stop

A traffic stop south of Merced ended this week with authorities seizing $50,000 in suspected methamphetamine and taking an Oregon man into custody, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Rafael Hernandez Espinoza, 27, of Fairview, Ore., was booked into the John Latorraca Correctional Facility on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance for sale, transporting a controlled substance and transporting a controlled substance for sale between counties’ lines. He remained in custody Friday afternoon on $85,000 bail, according Merced County jail records.

A CHP officer stopped a red 1998 Honda Accord around 3:20 p.m. Thursday on Highway 99 near Le Grand Road for an unspecified traffic violation. Officers learned Hernandez Espinoza was driving on a suspended license and subsequently impounded his vehicle, the CHP said in a news release.

While taking inventory of the vehicle’s contents, officers found a bag containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, which they estimated had a street value of about $50,000, the CHP reported.

The Merced Multi-Agency Narcotics Task Force was called in to assist with the investigation.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 1:53 PM with the headline "$50,000 in suspected meth seized in Merced County traffic stop."