Colorado Task Force Seizes Over 23 Pounds of Cocaine in Traffic Stop
A Colorado task force seized over 23 pounds of cocaine and took one person into custody during a traffic stop.
On Wednesday around 8:00 p.m., the Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team (G.R.A.N.I.T.E.) executed a traffic stop on I-70 near Gypsum. A uniformed deputy pulled over the driver, and a K9 unit was deployed, alerting officers to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle revealed an AR-15 magazine with blank rounds, a 1911 pistol magazine, .45 caliber rounds, three cell phones, and “10 brick-shaped packages” that weighed over 23 pounds, according to the G.R.A.N.I.T.E. team. The packages presumptively tested positive for cocaine.
The driver, identified as 24-year-old Angel Gabriel Valadez, was taken into custody. Valadez is currently being held on a $100,000 bond for two counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, special offender (cocaine), and conspiracy.
The Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team is a multi-jurisdictional drug task force composed of local law enforcement partners and detectives from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office and the Vail Police Department.
