280 pounds of pot seized
A drug seizure on Highway 82 near El Jebel netted nearly 280 pounds of marijuana Friday afternoon. The load has an estimated street value of $540,000.
Based on a tip, the Eagle County Crime Response Team, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, stopped a red Ford F-150 travelling south on Highway 82 to El Jebel. Officers in El Jebel spotted the vehicle, and an Eagle County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit was called to assist.
The drug dog alerted officers to the truck’s tires, after which a thorough search was conducted at the Eagle County maintenance shops.
Twelve metal canisters containing tightly packed marijuana were discovered welded to the inside of the tire rims to avoid detection.
Ursulo Granados-Iguado, Braulio Chavez Quezada and Martin Alonso Valdez, all of Chihuahua, Mexico, were taken into custody and transported to the U.S. magistrate in Grand Junction. They will appear on charges of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Distribute.
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