A routine traffic stop in Oregon on Friday led to the discovery of about 10 pounds of high-quality methamphetamine in a hidden compartment and the arrest of a Vancouver man on drug charges, the Oregon State Police said.
Gregorio Gutierrez-Montes, 22, was booked on suspicion of possession, delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance after a 9:30 a.m. traffic stop on northbound Interstate 5 near Glendale, Ore., an OSP bulletin said.
The bulletin said a trooper stopped a 2004 Toyota Solara for a traffic violation, and Gutierrez-Montes, the vehicle’s driver and only occupant, consented to a search of the vehicle.
A drug-detecting dog helped lead officers to what the OSP described as a sophisticated after-market compartment in the vehicle; it contained about ten pounds of high-quality crystal methamphetamine, wrapped in cellophane in individual one-pound packages. The drugs have an estimated value of $175,000, the bulletin said.
Gutierrez-Montes was booked into the Douglas County Jail in Roseburg, Ore.; bail was set at $150,000. The Solara was seized.
