LAKEPORT, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted Thursday night by a sheriff’s patrol deputy has resulted in one arrest and the seizure of 22.5 grams of methamphetamine.
Arrested following the stop was 40-year-old Antonio Flores Castellanos of Lakeport, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, a patrol deputy was traveling northbound on Highway 29 near Lakeport Boulevard when he noticed a GMC pickup traveling in front of him travel over the fog line and then veer back toward the center of the roadway on three occasions within about 400 yards, Brooks said.
Brooks said the deputy also noticed that one of the vehicle's brake lights was not working. The deputy conducted an enforcement stop in the area of Highway 29 and 11th Street in Lakeport.
The deputy contacted the driver, who was identified as Castellanos. Brooks said the deputy explained the reason for the enforcement stop and asked Castellanos if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Castellanos told the deputy that he was coming down from methamphetamine and was very tired.
A K9 unit responded to the location and deployed his partner to conduct a sniff of the exterior of the vehicle, Brooks said. As the canine approached the driver’s side door, she produced a positive alert, indicating there was the odor of a controlled substance present.
During the search deputies located a hidden compartment inside the vehicle. Inside the hidden compartment were four plastic bags, each containing a white crystalline substance determined to be methamphetamine, Brooks said.
Brooks said Castellanos told deputies he had only owned the pickup for about four months and was unaware of the hidden compartment or the methamphetamine which was located inside of it.
Deputies also located $2,766, which Castellanos claimed he had won at a casino, Brooks said.
Castellanos was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale, transportation of a controlled substance, use of a false compartment and being under the influence of a controlled substance, Brooks said.
Brooks said Castellanos was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. The cash was seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings.
Castellanos remained in custody on Friday night, with his bail set at $500,000, according to jail records.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.