Officer and K-9 find 71 pounds of meth in vehicle during California traffic stop

A Washington man was arrested during a traffic stop on Interstate 5, just west of Mendota, after a K-9 officer located 71 pounds of methamphetamine inside the vehicle, California Highway Patrol reported.

Around 5:15 p.m. Aug. 3 a CHP officer stopped a maroon 2011 Honda Odyssey for an obstructed view violation on northbound I-5 near Shields Avenue, according to CHP Officer Eric Zuniga.

During the stop, the officer reportedly noticed factors which led him to believe the driver Alberto Manzo, 33, of Tacoma, Wash., was possibly involved in criminal activity, according to Zuniga.

His two children were also in the vehicle, according to CHP.

According to a CHP news release, K-9 “Bruce” performed a sniff of the vehicle and alerted to the odor of narcotics. During a search of the vehicle the officer found two large bags which contained smaller packages hidden behind clothing and rolls of paper towels and toilet paper.

According to the release, the smaller packages were found to contain about 71 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.

The officer also located two loaded guns, one of which was found to have been stolen.

According to the CHP, Manzo was arrested on suspicion of multiple charges including transportation of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance across non-contiguous counties, possession of narcotics, possession of a loaded firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and child endangerment, according to the CHP.

This story was originally published August 10, 2022 at 12:31 PM.