LOWER LAKE >> A routine traffic stop led to an arrest and the seizure of six pounts of methamphetamine on Monday.
Modesto resident Armando Barrera, 26, was taken into custody and is being held in the Hill Road Correctional Facility. He faces charges of transporting and possessing a controlled substance for the purposes of sales.
According to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Steve Herdt, Barrera was pulled over around 1:30 p.m. on Highway 29 in Lower Lake, near the intersection with Highway 53, for a vehicle code violation.
As a deputy informed Barrera of the violation, a LCSO narcotics detection K-9 sniffed a suspicious substance in the car’s trunk. A search ensued, and the deputy located a suitcase containing three large bags of crystal shards.
The bags totaled about six pounds.
“When broken down into individual dosage units, this amount of methamphetamine has a street value of over $250,000 in Lake County,” Herdt said in a prepared statement.
Barrera was the only person in the vehicle, an Acura sedan.
LCSO detectives continue to investigate the incident. Anyone with information that can assist the Narcotics Unit with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at (707) 263-3663.
“The Sheriff’s Office will continue its efforts to eradicate narcotics from the communities of Lake County and seize the suspected profits of drug trafficking for asset forfeiture whenever possible,” Herdt said.
