La Pine traffic stop leads to meth, two arrests
Failure to display a rear license plate prompted a traffic stop of a pickup truck in La Pine, leading to the arrest of two occupants and seizure of 2.3 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the dashboard and elsewhere, Central Oregon drug agents said Thursday.
A Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy pulled over the 2005 Ford F-350 driven by Alex Barajas, 31, of Culver for a traffic violation, shortly after 10 p.m. Monday near the intersection of First Street and Huntington Road, said Lt. Ken Mannix of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team. He was accompanied by passenger Bonita Leonard, 34, of Warm Springs.
The CODE Team was called to the location after deputies identified the driver as Barajas, whom the agency had determined was involved in trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine throughout Central Oregon, specifically Deschutes and Jefferson counties, Mannix said.
A drug-detection dog alerted to the presence of drugs, and a search of the pickup led to the discovery of about 2.3 pounds of suspected meth concealed in the dashboard and elsewhere in the truck, the lieutenant said.
Other items seized included a small amount of cocaine, ecstasy and brass knuckles. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is about $32,000.
During the investigation, Mannix said, Leonard tried to conceal her identity by providing police with false information.
Both suspects remained jailed Thursday. Along with drug charges, Barajas was held without bail on a parole violation and was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon. Leonard also was charged probation violation and giving false information to a police officer.
