Fresno County sheriff’s deputy stop leads to drug-trafficking conviction

A Fresno County sheriff’s deputy is credited with the arrest that led to a federal prison sentence Monday for a convicted drug trafficker, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

Wenceslao Cruz Ochoa, 35, of Sacramento, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to four years and two months in prison.

According to court documents, a sheriff’s deputy stopped Ochoa on Nov. 13, 2014 on northbound Interstate 5 for a moving violation. A drug-sniffing dog caught the scent of drugs, and authorities found about 19 pounds of methamphetamine inside a suitcase.

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Fresno County sheriff’s deputy stop leads to drug-trafficking conviction."