CHP and K9 find about 20 pounds of meth during I5 traffic stop near Los Banos, CHP says

Two people were arrested during a traffic stop this week after California Highway Patrol officers reported finding around 20 pounds of methamphetamine inside the vehicle.

At about 3 p.m. Aug. 26, an officer initiated a traffic stop on a gray 2014 Jeep Cherokee for speeding on northbound Interstate 5 near Panoche Road, south of Los Banos, according to Merced area CHP Officer Eric Zuniga.

The officer noticed multiple factors that led him to believe the occupants were engaged in criminal activity, according to a news release.

The CHP’s K9 dog officer “Beny” sniffed the exterior of the vehicle and alerted the officer to the odor of narcotics.

The officer was granted consent to search the vehicle and located the meth inside a comforter set in the rear of the vehicle.

Driver Eduardo Avalos Herrera, 52, and passenger Blanca Manzo-Martinez, 40, both of Kennewick, Wash., were arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of a controlled substance, according to Zuniga.

Since Jan. 1, 2018, excluding a few recent incidents, Beny has been involved in 114 traffic stops during his time with the CHP Central Division after he was acquired from the CHP Golden Gate Division, according to Zuniga.

Zuniga said that during Beny’s time with the Central Division, the K9 has assisted in confiscating 158 pounds of cocaine, 596 pounds of methamphetamine, 44 pounds of heroin, 144,000 fentanyl pills, 8 pounds of fentanyl powder, 80 pounds of marijuana and more than $9 million in United States currency.