Canadian County deputy seizes 30 pounds of meth during traffic stop
EL RENO — Authorities arrested two Tennessee women in a vehicle headed east on Interstate 40 this week after a Canadian County deputy observed its driver making an illegal lane change.
During a search of the vehicle, 30 pounds of methamphetamine and about $6,500 in cash were found, authorities say.
A release issued by the sheriff's department stated deputies involved in the stop requested a response from a K9 drug detection unit based on responses they were getting from the two women inside the vehicle.
The dog, making a free-air sniff around the vehicle, positively alerted to the presence of drugs, prompting a more detailed search.
The release states 31 bags of methamphetamine were found inside a highly sophisticated electronic aftermarket compartment located behind the back seat of the vehicle.
The cash, meanwhile, was found bundled in black rubber bands inside one of the women's purses.
The agency states it seized the narcotics and money as evidence and arrested both women on accusations of trafficking methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and concealing proceeds thought to be derived from trafficking narcotics.
Neither woman was being held in the Canadian County Jail on Friday, a search of its inmate records showed.
Arrests of this type along I-40 through Canadian County are often executed by the sheriff's office.
In January, another stop on that same stretch of interstate led to the arrest of a man and the seizure of 40 kilos of cocaine worth an estimated half-million dollars, or more.
As for this week's bust, Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said there’s a "real possibility these drugs have ties to our nation’s southern border. Most likely a transnational criminal organization.
"I’m extremely pleased with the exceptional work of my deputies,” West said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Canadian County traffic stop nets 30 lbs of meth and thousands in cash
