A Wednesday night traffic stop by Oregon State Police (OSP) along Interstate 5 in Salem led to the arrest of a California man after the trooper found approximately 15 pounds of marijuana inside the vehicle. The OSP Drug Enforcement Section is continuing the investigation.
Today at approximately 9:30 p.m. an OSP troopers stopped a 1996 Toyota Tacoma pickup displaying California license plates northbound on Interstate 5 near milepost 253 for a speed violation. The driver was identified as Cesar E. Gonzalez-Rivas, age 36, from Willits, California.
Subsequent investigation during the traffic stop led the trooper to discover approximately 15 one-pound bags of marijuana concealed inside the pickup. Estimated value of the seized marijuana is $35,000.
Gonzalez-Rivas was arrested without incident and lodged in the Marion County Jail for Unlawful Possession and Distribution of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana. He is no longer in custody at the jail.
News Release: Oregon State Police – Photograph: Marion County Sheriff’s Office