Two Mexicali men arrested in El Centro with meth

The El Centro Police Department arrested two suspects after they found four pounds of meth inside their vehicle. ECPD said officers conducted a traffic stop on a Nissan Altima after the driver failed to utilize his turn signal prior to making a turning movement. That happened on Tuesday afternoon.

The officer approached the driver and asked for his driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance. As the officer spoke with the driver he noticed the driver and passenger appeared nervous and displayed abnormal behavior.

K-9 Max, a certified narcotics detecting canine, was utilized to sniff the exterior of the vehicle and alerted to the odor of a controlled substance. A subsequent search of the vehicle led officers to discover approximately four pounds of methamphetamine inside a shopping bag on the passenger side floorboard.

The driver of the vehicle, Jose Luis Martinez-Rivera (a 27 year-old resident of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico) and passenger, Nichols Monnars Sanchez-Rivera (a 30 year-old resident of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico) were arrested and booked at the Imperial County jail. They face felony charges for possession of methamphetamine for sale and transportation of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.