A traffic stop of a man found smoking methamphetamine in his car
prompted Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team agents to search his
home where they found $10,000 worth of marijuana and confiscated
almost $40,000 in cash, according to police.
Hollister – A traffic stop of a man found smoking methamphetamine in his car prompted Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team agents to search his home where they found $10,000 worth of marijuana and confiscated almost $40,000 in cash, according to police.
Salinas resident Martin Chavez Castillo, 40, was arrested for possession of marijuana for sale and possession of methamphetamine, felonies, possession of a meth pipe and being an unlicensed driver, misdemeanors, after an arrest by the California Highway Patrol led UNET agents to discover 515 grams of marijuana in his home on Friday, said UNET Commander Mark Colla.
A CHP officer found Castillo smoking methamphetamine in a parked car on the side of the road at Searle Road and Highway 156 in San Benito County around 2am on Thursday, Colla said.
After searching the car the CHP officer found $32,000 in bundled $20, $50 and $100 bills in the trunk of the car and notified UNET agents, Colla said.
“He disclaimed it,” Colla said. “He said he had no idea how it got in there.”
After interviewing Castillo and determining where he lived, UNET agents searched Castillo’s home in Salinas around 4pm on Friday and found 515 grams of marijuana in his closet, one and a half pounds of marijuana seeds and $6,300 in cash in an envelope in a bedroom dresser, Colla said.
Also found in the home was a photograph of Castillo standing in a large marijuana garden, which confirmed for agents he was “in the business of cultivating and selling marijuana” and the cash found was “ill-gotten gains,” Colla said.
Because Castillo said the $32,000 wasn’t his, it will go into the UNET fund and help support the task force, Colla said. A percentage of it will go to the CHP because that agency made the arrest, he said.
The $6,300 that was seized will be held as evidence, and if Castillo is convicted it also will be deposited into the UNET fund, Colla said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
