A traffic stop by a Summit County Sheriff’s Detective on Sunday has resulted in the seizure of 26 pounds of methamphetamine and the arrest of a motorist.
A press release issued Monday from the Sheriff’s Office said that the detective, who was assigned to the Homeland Security Investigation Interdiction Taskforce, made a traffic stop of a 2009 Chevrolet Impala on eastbound Interstate 80 near Wanship.
The vehicle was stopped for an insurance violation, but the officer saw items inside that led him to suspect criminal activity.
A K-9 officer, deployed for an open-air sniff of the vehicle, indicated a narcotic odor. A probable-cause search found the meth in the passenger area.
The driver, identified as 37-year-old Timoteo Castro Guerrero from Tulare, California, was arrested and booked into the Summit County Jail. The case has been transferred for federal prosecution and the suspect could face up to ten years in federal prison.
The Sheriff’s statement said, ‘As drug cartels increase the production and distribution of methamphetamine throughout North America, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, through our partnership with Homeland Security Investigations, continues our commitment to combating illicit drugs and safeguarding our communities.”