2 arrested, 14 pounds meth seized during I-5 traffic stop

SALEM, Ore. — Police say a trooper arrested two men after discovering 14 pounds of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s trunk during a routine traffic stop.

The Statesman Journal reports Oregon State Police arrested Arturo Lua Carbajal and Ernesto Chavez-Cruz Wednesday during the stop on Interstate 5 near Salem.

Police say the vehicle was stopped for failure to use a turn signal and after the trooper became suspicious asked to search the vehicle. Police say the trooper found the meth in a garbage bag.

Carbajal, the driver, and Chavez-Cruz, his passenger, were arrested on charges of meth possession and distribution. Both are being held on $1 million bail.

Drug enforcement detectives are investigating.

Interstate 5, which runs from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Canadian border, is considered a major drug transportation corridor by the U.S. Justice Department.