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Two big drug busts a day apart in San Joaquin County took hundreds of pounds of drugs off the streets.
The first came Tuesday when a driver consented to have his car searched after a traffic stop near Mariposa Road and Highway 99 in Stockton.
A San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office drug-sniffing dog named Jack alerted deputies to the presence of narcotics. More than 17 pounds of fentanyl were discovered in a speaker box inside the vehicle. The amount could have provided millions of fatal doses, sheriff’s officials said.
The driver, Francisco Eduardo Sandoval-Baez, was booked into the San Joaquin County jail on narcotics charges, authorities said.
“This seizure represents a significant step in keeping deadly drugs off our streets,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies discovered more than 17 pounds of fentanyl inside the speaker box of a vehicle pulled over for a traffic stop on Feb. 25. (Photo courtesy of San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office)
But that wasn’t all.
A day later, sheriff’s officials joined with the Metro Narcotics Task Force, Stockton and Tracy police departments and the county probation department to execute search warrants at four locations. The raids resulted in a huge haul of drugs.
The bust, including three arrests, capped a months-long investigation, authorities said.
Approximately 16,500 fentanyl pills, 72 pounds of methamphetamine and 83 pounds of marijuana were seized. In addition, deputies took control of two handguns, $5,481 in cash and two meth labs.
The arrests included Jose Villegas-Urrea, Jose Garcia-Soto and Alfredo Contreras Balbuena, all of whom were booked on various drug-related charges, sheriff’s officials said.
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“]] San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies made the seizures, which also included guns, cash and two meth labs, one day apart. Read More
