California authorities say they confiscated suspected cocaine valued at more than $800,000 during a traffic stop in Merced County this week.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a canine officer with the agency’s Central Division pulled over a 2025 Honda CR-V on Aug. 12 for an alleged traffic violation.
While speaking with the driver, the officer noticed “several indicators of possible criminal activity,” CHP said.
A search of the SUV followed, and authorities said officers found a bag containing about 30 pounds of suspected cocaine. The drugs had an estimated street value of $817,200, according to CHP.
California Highway Patrol officers seized approximately 30 pounds of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of $817,200 during a traffic stop in Merced County. (California Highway Patrol)
The driver was taken into custody and booked at the Merced County Main Jail on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale and transporting cocaine across non-contiguous counties, authorities said.
The Merced Area Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team, known as MAGNET, is leading the investigation.
The Merced County cocaine seizure follows a major federal drug bust last month, when authorities discovered more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine hidden beneath the floorboards of a commercial truck entering the United States from Mexico. Officials described that case as one of Southern California’s largest drug seizures of the year.
FEDS SEIZE $6.4M WORTH OF COCAINE ABOARD OIL TANKER AT PORT OF LOS ANGELES, ARREST SUSPECTED CARTEL SMUGGLER
A California Highway Patrol officer stopped a 2025 Honda CR-V for an alleged traffic violation before allegedly discovering $817,200 worth of suspected cocaine inside the vehicle. (California Highway Patrol)
According to the Justice Department, more than a half-ton of cocaine was discovered concealed in the floorboards of a truck and flatbed trailer at the Calexico Port of Entry along the California-Mexico border. Authorities estimated the cocaine had a street value exceeding $20 million.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also announced last month that officers discovered more than $3.7 million worth of cocaine concealed in a shipment of cucumbers.
CHP said an officer discovered a bag containing approximately 30 pounds of suspected cocaine after searching an SUV during an Aug. 12 traffic stop. (California Highway Patrol)
CBP officers at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas discovered 112 packages inside a tractor-trailer after a canine inspection and nonintrusive imaging scan detected anomalies in the vehicle.
The packages contained a total of 278.88 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $3,723,654, according to CBP.
