Man arrested during traffic stop after police find 5 lbs. of meth
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The following is a news release and photos from the Idaho Falls Police Department.
IDAHO FALLS — On Oct. 11, shortly after 7:00 p.m., Idaho Falls Police officers conducted a traffic stop on a white Acura TL after the driver made multiple turn signal violations.
An Idaho Falls Police K-9 and his handler conducted a free air sniff around the vehicle and the K9, trained and certified in narcotics detection, indicated the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.
During a search of the vehicle, officers located a red and black Milwaukee toolbox in the trunk that contained two one-gallon sized bags of methamphetamine. One bag weighed 461.5 grams and the other weighed 461.2 grams, with a combined total weight of 922.7 grams or just over two pounds of methamphetamine.
Investigators developed additional information and learned that the driver of the vehicle, Jose Lopez Hernandez, had connections to a storage unit at Falls Valley Storage on 1st Street.
On Oct. 12, officers obtained a search warrant for the storage unit where they found three additional bags of methamphetamine. The bags had individual weights of 420 grams, 459 grams, and 455 grams, for a total of 1334 grams or just under 3 pounds of methamphetamine.
During the course of the investigation, in addition to the nearly five pounds of methamphetamine, officers also seized $2,090 in cash, a Glock pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip handle, and an operable full auto 1940s MP40 sub-machine gun.
Jose Lopez Hernandez, a 27-year-old male resident of Mexico, was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and was booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
The Idaho Falls Police Department would like to thank the Teton County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this investigation.