He tried to smuggle drugs into Fresno. But Buster the police dog busted him.
A Fresno Police Department dog thwarted a clever attempt to smuggle $130,000 worth of drugs into the city from Mexico.
Fresno police Sgt. Tim Tietjen said his narcotics unit seized 20 pounds of methamphetamine on Wednesday from a hidden compartment inside an SUV.
The officers had tracked the suspected smuggler, Miguel Angel Quintero Morales, 30, from Mexico as he crossed the border Tuesday night. As he attempted to enter Fresno Wednesday morning, officers pulled him over.
Tietjen said police may not have found the drugs, which were stuffed inside the SUV's engine compartment, if not for Buster, the narcotic K-9 unit. Buster has found about seven major drug shipments since joining narcotics in January, Tietjen added.
Quintero Morales, a Mexican citizen, appears to have a valid visa into the United States. Police are investigating possible cartel connections.
The seizure was part of a consistent effort by Fresno police to crack down on drugs being trafficked into the city from Mexico, Tietjen said. Methamphetamine busts are especially valuable, he added, because addiction to the drug fuels much of Fresno’s property and violent crime.
Rory Appleton: 559-441-6015, @RoryDoesPhonics
This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "He tried to smuggle drugs into Fresno. But Buster the police dog busted him.."