BROOKINGS – A search of a vehicle on Sunday in Brookings led to the discovery and seizure of approximately 30 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and 1 pound of suspected fentanyl worth an estimated $150,000, according to a news release from the Brookings Police Department.
Jose Gonzalez, 55, and Marquez Gonzales, 28, both of Gonzales, California, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, ingestion of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the release. In addition to the suspected drugs, BPD officers said they also seized $5,100 cash.
The case originated with a traffic complaint on Interstate 29 south of Brookings at 9:27 a.m. Sunday, according to a probable cause statement from Brookings Police. The BPD and the South Dakota Highway Patrol found the vehicle in question at 9:45 a.m. at a gas station in the 3000 block of Lefevre Drive. While questioning the vehicle’s occupants, officers detected indicators of criminal activity, according to the release, and then deployed Gina, a K9 unit. During a search, suspected drugs were allegedly discovered in both the vehicle’s passenger compartment and the trunk, mostly in vacuum-sealed and cellophane-wrapped packages, the probable cause statement reports.
Gonzalez and Gonzales both remain in the Brookings County Detention Center as of Monday morning on $25,000 cash-only bonds.
