Traffic stop leads to $1 million meth bust, driver Jose Garcia-Contreras arrested

Douglas County officials say a man is facing charges after he was busted with over a $1 million worth of meth.
 
According to police report, the 64-year-old drug mule's tag light was out, but an astute sheriff's deputy realized the man was hiding a bigger crime inside the car.
 
”As he came up to the window, he could smell the odor of fresh paint and Bondo coming from inside the vehicle, said Lt. John Jewell of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
 
That smell indicated to the Douglas County sheriff's deputy that the 2006 Ford Freestar had recent bodywork.
 
A K-9 then alerted investigators to the back seat. When they cut into the floor, they say they found over 65 pounds of crystal meth.

Sheriff's deputies aren't sure if the seizure breaks a county record, but say 65 pounds of crystal meth totaling over a $1 million has to be close.
 
”The street value is probably a little over a $1 million, Jewell said.
 
Jose Garcia-Contreras, 64, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and having a false compartment in a motor vehicle.
 
Police believe Contreras was a drug mule, bringing meth from Mexico to Atlanta, when he was pulled over on Interstate 20 eastbound, a known drug corridor.
 
”It's a route for the drug cartel, going from the West Coast to the East Coast. It comes to Atlanta, is broken down and distributed back out to the metro-Atlanta communities, Jewell said.
 
Contreras is being held without bond at the Douglas County Jail.

Sheriff's deputies aren't sure if the seizure breaks a county record, but say 65 pounds of crystal meth totaling over a $1 million has to be close.