SWEETWATER COUNTY — A Michigan man is behind bars after a Sheriff’s Office K9 team seized over 60 pounds of marijuana found in his vehicle on Sunday night.
Sheriff Mike Lowell said 23-year-old Christian Alvarez of Garden City, MI, is charged with felony-grade Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.
Alvarez was stopped at about 9:30 PM on Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Green River driving a silver Hyundai Sonata when the deputy observed it to be following dangerously close to a semi tractor-trailer rig.
The deputy’s canine partner alerted to the presence of drugs and a subsequent search of vehicle uncovered 62.73 pounds of marijuana, plus 802 individual marijuana vape cartridges, and 58.5 grams of marijuana wax “dab” in 39 individual packages.
“I-80 is a major corridor for drug traffickers,” Lowell said. “That’s one of the reasons we created our K9 teams and they’ve been extremely successful.”
Over the past year, Sheriff’s Office K9 teams have made nearly two dozen felony drug arrests and seized well over half a ton of marijuana, liquid marijuana, dab (marijuana wax), heroin, and methamphetamine.
As of press time, Alvarez remains in custody at the Sweetwater County Detention Center in lieu of a $25,000 cash or surety bond.
Lowell said the Sheriff’s Office does not identify individual dog handlers or their canine partners due to threats made against such teams nationwide.
