Bellingham man’s backpack allegedly found to contain meth, heroin and a stolen handgun
A Bellingham man who allegedly left behind a backpack containing heroin, methamphetamine and a stolen handgun was arrested five days later during a traffic stop.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Garbriel Ibarra Jr., 31, into Whatcom County Jail Tuesday, Sept. 1, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of heroin with intent to deliver, possession of a stolen firearm and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Jail records show he is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Ibarra was a passenger in a car that the Sheriff’s Office Interdiction Team stopped Aug. 27 after seeing it leave an area known for narcotics sales, Chief Deputy Kevin Hester told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Deputies recognized the driver as having a suspended license, Hester reported, and while they were dealing with the driver, Ibarra was allowed to leave.
Further investigation found a backpack that had been in Ibarra’s possession, according to Hester. The backpack contained 12.7 grams of heroin, 9.4 grams of methamphetamine, 43.4 grams of an unknown brown substance and the stolen handgun.
Deputies identified the passenger as Ibarra and established probable cause for his arrest, Hester reported, and on Tuesday Ibarra was involved in another traffic stop by the Bellingham Police Department. Deputies responded and arrested him.
Ibarra also is awaiting a jury trial scheduled to begin Oct. 26 in Skagit County on charges of retail theft with special circumstances stemming from an Aug. 2019 incident, court records show. He also has multiple previous convictions in Whatcom County for possession of a controlled substance, assault, violating a protection order, unlawful firearm possession, forgery, theft and possession of stolen property since 2005.
