CHP officers make major drug busts, arrest naked woman shooting a gun at passing motorists
Not that it’s anything unusual, but it’s been a very busy week on California highways, especially where drug busts in Fresno and Merced Counties are concerned – not to mention the arrest of a naked woman who was shooting at passing cars on I-80.Â
Yesterday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that on July 24, a traffic stop by a CHP Officer led to the discovery and seizure of approximately 25 pounds of cocaine, with a street value over $1,360,000. That bust went down in Fresno County. Moises Delgado, 23, and Juan Carlos Suarez-Mendoza, 24, both of Wapato, Washington, were arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail for various drug related charges.
Background: On Monday, July 24 at approximately 3:15 p.m., a CHP officer conducted an enforcement stop on a 2015 Nissan Murano for a traffic violation. The stop occurred on northbound Interstate 5, at Panoche Road, in Fresno County. During the contact, the officer noted several factors that led him to believe the driver and passenger were engaged in criminal activity. The officer asked for and was granted written consent to search the vehicle.
A search of a Ninja blender box located inside the vehicle revealed approximately 25 pounds of cocaine, with a street value over $1,360,000. The driver, Delgado, and passenger, Suarez-Mendoza, were taken into custody without incident.
Following their arrests, Delgado and Suarez-Mendoza were booked into the Fresno County Jail on criminal charges of possession of cocaine for sale and transportation of cocaine across noncontiguous counties.
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And earlier in the same week, on July 21, another a traffic stop by a CHP K-9 officer led to the largest narcotics seizure in California’s Merced County history – when Luis Felipe Ponce Rosales, 23, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, was arrested and booked into the Los Banos City Jail on various drug related charges.
On, July 21 at approximately 1:00 p.m., a CHP Central Division K-9 officer conducted an enforcement stop on a 2014 Kia Soul for a traffic violation. The stop occurred on northbound Interstate 5, at the Santa Nella Scales, in Merced County. During the contact, the officer noted several factors that led him to believe the driver and passenger were engaged in criminal activity.
The CHP K-9 officer deployed his canine partner “Luna” on the exterior of the Kia. Luna gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics emitting from the vehicle. As officers were preparing to search the Kia, the driver fled the scene into a nearby almond orchard.
With the assistance of the Merced County Sheriff’s Department and CHP – Central Division Air Operations, a search of the immediate area was conducted. The driver was not located; however, he was positively identified by evidence retrieved from within the Kia.
A search of the Kia revealed the following:
- 735,000 fentanyl laced pills, approximate weight 161 pounds,
- 133 pounds of methamphetamine, and
- 37 pounds of cocaine.
The Merced Area Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET) was requested and responded to assist with the investigation. MAGNET agents took custody of the passenger, Ponce Rosales, and the drugs. Following an interview, Rosales was booked into the Los Banos City Jail on the following charges of:
- possession of methamphetamine for sale,
- transportation of methamphetamine across noncontiguous counties, possession of cocaine/fentanyl for sale, and
- transportation of cocaine/fentanyl across noncontiguous counties.
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And as if CHP having to deal with the influx of drugs on their roadways wasn’t enough, just yesterday, CBS News reported that a motorist got out of her car, naked, and started shooting her gun into the air and at other cars as they passed by.
The incident captured above occurred on Interstate 80 and necessitated a brief shutdown of all eastbound lanes, which caused a messy traffic backup. For more on that unusual story, see the video below,
(Source and images: California Highway Patrol)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
