Smuggler’s blues? Sheriff’s dog finds 2 pounds of heroin, pound of meth in car’s secret panel

Two pounds of heroin and a pound of methamphetamine in a vehicle’s hidden compartment were discovered by a Fresno County Sheriff’s dog after a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Coalinga on Tuesday.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said Valentin Meza, 31, a Mexican citizen, was arrested in the seizure and is being held in Fresno County Jail, where bail is set at $335,000. Botti said federal immigration officials also placed a hold on Meza’s release.

The deputy stopped the car near I-5 and El Dorado Avenues about 11 a.m. and suspected it was carrying narcotics, said Botti. A deputy with a search dog was called to the scene, and the dog tipped deputies to the hidden stash. No details about the nature of the hidden compartment were released. Meza was booked on five felony counts.

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Smuggler’s blues? Sheriff’s dog finds 2 pounds of heroin, pound of meth in car’s secret panel."