On October 29, 2016, at approximately 11 PM, an officer from the Angels Camp Police Department was on patrol when he noticed a U-Haul box truck fueling up at a gas station in Angels Camp. The officer initiated consensual contact with the driver, who advised that he was moving furniture to Southern California.
While the driver was fueling his truck the officer utilized a police canine that is trained to detect the odor of drugs, for an exterior sniff of the truck. As the officer and his canine partner neared the rear of the truck, the canine alerted to the presence of drug contraband. The officer could also smell the strong odor of raw marijuana as he approached the rear cargo area of the truck.
A search of the rear cargo area of the truck revealed over one-hundred (100) large plastic totes that contained raw marijuana. Each container was capable of holding approximately 15-20 pounds of processed marijuana. The totes were all similar in size and color to the totes that were associated with the large marijuana processing facility that was eradicated by the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department, on October 27, 2016, at the old airport property outside of San Andreas.
Due to the similarities and possible link to the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office case, the truck and its contents, as well as the suspect driver, were turned over to the sheriff's office for further investigation.
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