$1 million in meth nabbed in bust February 16, 2006 - sctimes.com
ST. PAUL - A traffic stop last week near Monticello resulted in the seizure of an 11?-pound stash of methamphetamine, the State Patrol announced Wednesday.
The street value of the meth found in the car's air bag compartment is just over $1 million, the patrol said.
The seizure isn't the biggest ever in the state, drug agents said. But the recovered meth was extremely pure, which gives it a higher street value and also means users don?t need as much to get high, said Larry Bergsgaard,special agent in charge of the narcotics unit for the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The find was made during a traffic stop on Interstate Highway 94 at 3:10 p.m. Feb. 7. The car, a 2000 Ford Contour, was pulled over after several traffic violations, including an improper lane change.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Wright County, the driver was Merced Guadalupe Bejar-Orta, 24, of Washington state.
Passengers included a 17-year-old boy who has not been named by authorities; Antonia Bejar-Cardenas,25, of Kennewick, Wash.; and her 3-year-old child.
The vehicle had California plates and was registered to someone else.
During the stop, the trooper believed the occupants were acting suspiciously.
The trooper also saw that the glove box and air bag appeared to have been tampered with.
The trooper called in a drug dog, who picked up the scent of meth near the passenger-side air bag compartment. According to the criminal complaint, the meth was in packages covered with green cellophane.
The trooper found eight packages of meth and one large Ziploc bag containing meth. All of the air bag components had been removed.
The compartment had a trunk-latch type device and was wired to an air conditioning knob, the complaint states.
Bejar-Cardenas has been charged with three first-degree felony drug violations, including conspiracy and possession with the intent to sell a controlled substance.
Each of the three charges carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and $1 million fine.
The driver, Merced Bejar-Orta, now faces federal felony drug charges that could lead to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said at a news conference.
Bejar-Orta made an initial court appearance Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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