CHP K-9 seizes $82,000 in meth after traffic stop near Gilroy

A 37-year-old man was arrested in Santa Clara County after K-9 officers found methamphetamine in his vehicle, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

CHP officers conducted a traffic stop east of Casa de Fruta, near Gilroy, at about 3:35 p.m. Friday along Highway 152.

An officer determined that the driver, identified as Jorge Luis Lucatero Ramos, was unlicensed. But the officer's K-9 partner "Rudi" alerted him to the possible presence of a narcotic inside the vehicle.

A subsequent search yielded about 70 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, which has an estimated street value of about $82,000, the CHP said.

Ramos, a resident of Los Banos, was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of possessing and transporting methamphetamine for sale, the CHP said.