100+ pounds of drugs seized during traffic stop in Trinidad

TRINIDAD, Colo. (KRDO) - On Tuesday, March 19, the Trinidad Police Department (TPD) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on I-25 through the town just north of the Colorado/New Mexico border.

The TPD said K9 "Jefe" was deployed during the stop to conduct a "free air sniff" around the outside of the vehicle. Jefe alerted to the presence of narcotics and the vehicle was searched.

According to the TPD, officers discovered more than 72 pounds of suspected fentanyl and more than 29 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in the vehicle. The TPD said they recovered an estimated 330,000 fentanyl pills and the street value of the drugs is approximately $2.25 million.

The TPD said the driver of the vehicle, identified as Bartolo Rodrigeuz, was arrested and taken to the Las Animas County Jail where he is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Rodriguez faces the following charges:

• Unlawful distribution/manufacture/dispensing/sale/possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance, a class 1 drug felony.
• Two counts of possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance, a class 4 drug felony.