Gang member arrested after drugs and gun found during search, Merced police say

Merced police say a traffic stop led officers to find a rifle and drugs and the arrest of a gang member.

At about 11 a.m. Thursday, officers with the Merced Police Gang Violence Suppression Unit stopped a vehicle in the 1500 block of Sycamore Avenue in Atwater, according to a Merced Police Department news release.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 37-year-old Miguel Guizar, who police say is a validated gang member in Merced County. Police say a search of the vehicle and a nearby hotel room where Guizar was staying turned up the rifle plus several grams of heroin, 13 ounces of methamphetamine and 1.5 pounds of marijuana.

Guizar was booked into the Merced County jail on possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, narcotics sales and a gang enhancement, police say.

Merced Police ask anyone with information about the case to contact Officer Lupian at 209-388-7732.

This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 3:57 PM.