Interstate 5 has become a hotbed for drug trafficking arrests in the last week.

The K-9 unit with California Highway Patrol’s Central Division has reported three arrests on I-5 near Utica Avenue since Oct. 1, each yielding a substantial quantity of narcotics.

“We only have three K-9 units in this division, covering everything from Fort Tejon to Modesto,” CHP Sgt. Todd Spino said. “This is a little more activity than normal for us.”

The first arrest, like those that would follow, started as a normal traffic stop.

Samuel Alonso, 39, was stopped by the CHP for a vehicle registration violation where I-5 crosses Utica Avenue. An officer approached the Oxnard resident’s vehicle and noticed something was amiss. He asked the driver for permission to search the car, then brought over his trained K-9, Aaron.

Within moments, the dog located a hidden compartment under the right front seat, Spino said.

Inside were 10 pounds of crystal methamphetamine packaged for sale.

Alonso was arrested and booked into the Kings County Jail on suspicion of numerous drug transportation charges. His bail was set at $1.5 million.

The second arrest was on Monday and also occurred where I-5 meets Utica Avenue.

A 55-year-old Long Beach woman got pulled over when a traffic officer caught her driving 83 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Similar to the previous arrest, the officer sensed something was wrong when he contacted the driver and asked to search her car. Sure enough, the officer’s K-9 sniffed out a duffel bag in the back seat, Spino said.

Inside was 12 kilos of cocaine, with an estimated value of half a million dollars.

The driver, Gabrielle Priel, was booked into the Kings County Jail, with her bail set at $4.51 million.

The last arrest came on Tuesday, just over the county line in the Fresno area. Steven Lim, a 23-year-old Los Angeles resident, was stopped for a vehicle code violation when officers found that he was driving without a license. A K-9 search of his vehicle revealed 41 pounds of ecstasy pills, Spino said, a total which added up to more than 63,000 pills.

Lim was arrested and taken to the Fresno County Jail.

Sgt. Spino said that all of the officers involved were able to observe odd behaviors and other indicators of criminal activity which, coupled with the K-9s, helped lead to arrests.

“We cover Highway 99, Interstate 5, Highways 58 and 152 and all the roadways in between,” Spino said. “It’s a lot of ground to cover and this is definitely a little more activity than we normally see.”

The Fresno office of the California Department of Justice assisted with additional investigation and narcotics disposal in each case.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Oct. 8, 2009)