This article was originally published by Ruth Brown in the Idaho Statesman.
Oregon police say they stopped two people near Ontario, Oregon, on Oct. 25 driving a pickup loaded with more than 40 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and more than 2 pounds of suspected heroin.
Alma Lorena Pacheco Ortiz, 52, and Victor Gomez Casa 26, an Idaho resident, have been charged by criminal complaint on suspicion of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. Pacheco Ortiz was also charged with possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully in the United States, according to a Oregon U.S. Attorney’s Office’s news release.
The arrests came after the coordinated traffic stop of a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe with Idaho license plates. The car was driven by Pacheco Ortiz, of Ontario, and the passenger was the registered owner, Gomez Casa, of Weiser.
“A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a mechanically actuated trap located under the rear seat of the vehicle. Law enforcement was able to activate the trap, opening the storage compartment which revealed approximately 40 pounds of methamphetamine and a kilo of heroin,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Pacheco admitted traveling to California to obtain drugs, which she had been transporting and distributing in Eastern Oregon for several years.”
On the same day, law enforcement served a federal search warrant at Pacheco Ortiz’s residence located in Ontario. During the search, law enforcement claimed to find about $75,000 in cash, a firearm and additional meth.
Law enforcement records indicate that Pacheco Ortiz was deported in 2013 to Mexico, her country of origin, and she returned to the U.S., according to the press release.
