CHP makes 2,000-pound marijuana bust during traffic stop
California Highway Patrol officers making a traffic stop in Imperial County also made a record find: 2,000 pounds of marijuana stashed inside a Chevrolet passenger van.
The pot, worth about $1 million, was the largest Imperial County bust for the CHP in five years, agency spokesman German Lazarin said.
Officers made the find after they stopped the van on northbound State Route 86 early Monday, Lazarin said. Officers had observed the driver, Julio C. Meza, 30, of Las Vegas, allegedly weaving across traffic lanes, he said.
A canine unit that responded to the call alerted officers to the drugs, Lazarin said.
“This is a lot of marijuana here,” he said. “Most seizures are not in the thousands” of pounds.
The average seizure is closer to 50 pounds, according to CHP records.
The investigation into possible charges against Meza was turned over to the Imperial County Narcotics Task Force, according to Lazarin.
Matt Hansen can be reached at matt.hansen@latimes.com
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