The department said Widget and her handler stopped a vehicle Saturday afternoon after the driver was seen weaving while traveling north on Interstate 25 into the city. The driver was identified as 34-year-old Jose Alonso Calderon-Garcia, who was driving from Mexico to Denver.
While Garcia's car was stopped, Widget performed an “open-air sniff” and alerted her handler that drugs could be in the vehicle, police said. The vehicle was taken to another location to be searched, and investigators said they found 10 kilos of cocaine hidden in the vehicle.
Calderon-Garcia was taken into custody and charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. He remained jailed Wednesday with bail set at $200,000.
Authorities said Widget was also instrumental in an Oct. 11 arrest when she located another 10 kilos of cocaine in a hidden compartment inside a vehicle during an unrelated traffic stop. Those drugs were also worth just over $1 million on the streets, police said.
The suspect in that case, Edgar Florez-Valenzuela, was also charged with possession with the intent to distribute the drugs. He has since been released on bond.
K-9 Widget Sniffs Out 10 Kilos of Cocaine
Posted by Pueblo Police Department on Wednesday, October 12, 2016
On Tuesday October 11th, around 8:30 PM, officers observed a maroon Saturn...
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