Driver arrested after CHP, K-9 find suspected narcotics during traffic stop near Mendota

A driver was arrested in Fresno County last week after authorities found suspected narcotics hidden inside the vehicle, they said.

At about 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 31, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped a silver 2021 Honda Accord for following too close in the area of northbound Interstate 5 and Russell Avenue, according to Merced-area CHP officer Eric Zuniga.

The officer reportedly noticed multiple factors that led him to believe the driver of the vehicle was engaged in criminal activity. CHP K-9 Bruce was used to perform an exterior sniff of the vehicle and alerted the officer to the odor of narcotics, according to a CHP social media post.

During a search of the vehicle, the officer located about four kilograms of suspected cocaine hidden inside a hollowed out battery jumper box, the CHP said. The driver, 23-year-old Alexis Mesa Cortez of Glendale Ariz., was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substance for purchase or sale and transportation of a controlled substance, according to authorities.

This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 2:49 PM.