Two people arrested after Whatcom deputies find 50 pounds of meth in rental car
Two people were arrested this weekend after the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office allegedly found more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside their rental car.
Esmeralda Esteban Salgado, 29, of Bakersfield, California, and Gregorio Nevarez-Meza, 48, from Mexico, were both arrested Saturday, Jan. 18, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, according to a sheriff’s office press release.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, deputies observed a driver commit a traffic violation and stopped the vehicle in the 3200 block of W. Maplewood Avenue. The driver identified herself as Salgado through her California license, the release states.
Throughout the traffic stop, Salgado gave inconsistent statements about why she and her passenger were in Bellingham, believing she was in Salem, Oregon, and was deceptive when answering basic questions, according to the press release.
The passenger in the rented truck, identified as Nevarez-Meza, also gave conflicting statements in regards to the couple’s travels, the release states.
A narcotics K9 gave a positive alert on the rental vehicle and a search was done. Deputies found 25 individually wrapped “‘seal-a-meal’ type of bundles” that were hidden in the spare tire under the truck, the release states.
A total of 23 kilograms, or 50.6 pounds, of meth was seized from the truck. The drugs had a wholesale value of $125,000, the release states.
Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Kevin Hester said the sheriff’s office believes the couple were coming from California, as that was where their truck was rented from and where they said they had driven from. Hester said the sheriff’s office doesn’t know where they were planning to go, but they don’t believe it was Bellingham, as the couple thought they were in Oregon when they were stopped.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 11:54 AM.
