YCSO: I-17 stops net 7 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 2 pounds of cocaine

CORDES JUNCTION, AZ - Yavapai County Sheriff's deputies made four arrests and seized several pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine in two recent traffic stops along Interstate 17 in northern Arizona.

According to a YCSO press release, on Thursday, deputies stopped a woman along I-17 near Cordes Junction for speeding and a lane change violation.

The deputy identified the driver, 52-year-old Judy Dieter and her passenger, 53-year-old Joseph Schaefer, as Nebraska residents. Dieter reportedly had a suspended license and was detained outside the vehicle.

When the deputy began questioning the woman, he became suspicious of her story, and a K9 unit was called in to inspect the car.

YCSO said the K9 unit detected narcotics inside the vehicle and a subsequent search revealed several packages of methamphetamine hidden around the car, as well as a snorting tube inside Dieter's purse.

Once in the trunk area, deputies found a large package of methamphetamine, weighing over three pounds, hidden in the wheel well.

Dieter and Schaefer were arrested and charged with one count each of transportation of dangerous drugs for sale. They were booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center and remain in-custody on a $150,000 bond.

According to YCSO, an earlier stop on August 4th also netted more than four pounds of methamphetamine as well as nearly two pounds of cocaine.

Two men were stopped north of Cordes Lake Junction, and a K9 unit again helped in discovering the hidden narcotics.

Deputies reportedly found the drugs hidden inside a door panel inside a truck driven by 30-year-old Jess Antillon and 27-year-old Fabian Estrada-Antillon.

Antillon and Estrada-Antillon were arrested for transportation of dangerous drugs for sale and booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center.