Police K9 Sniffs Out 440 Pounds of Cocaine in SUV After Driver Offers Shifting Alibis
Alhambra Police Department credits K9 Otis for uncovering the massive drug bust during a routine traffic stop.
A traffic stop in Alhambra, California, led to the discovery of approximately 440 pounds of cocaine after a police K9 alerted officers to a suspicious SUV. The driver, identified as Julio Rangel of Huntington Park, reportedly provided investigators with multiple conflicting explanations for the large quantity of boxes in his vehicle.
Alhambra Police Department officers initiated the stop near Valley Boulevard and the 710 Freeway, though the initial reason for the stop was not disclosed. They observed the vehicle was heavily laden with cardboard boxes, prompting police to joke the driver was hauling “more cardboard boxes than Amazon on Prime Day.”
According to police, Rangel initially stated he was returning from visiting his cousin and that the boxes did not belong to him. He later changed his story, claiming he was transporting diesel parts to a friend's shop. Investigators then brought in K9 Otis to assess the situation.
Otis, a police dog, alerted to the SUV, leading officers to conduct a thorough search. During the search, authorities allegedly discovered that the boxes contained a substantial amount of cocaine, not diesel parts.
Rangel was arrested and booked into the Alhambra Police Department Jail. The department praised K9 Otis for his role in the significant drug bust, with social media users echoing the sentiment, affectionately referring to the dog as "the nose that knows."
