According to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, the Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team Task Force (GRANITE) was once again responsible for a significant drug bust along I-70.

On the morning of March 19, it was business as usual for law enforcement in the area when a uniformed deputy spotted a white pick-up truck that was drifting onto the rumble strip while traveling at about 82 miles per hour, according to the report about the situation.

The deputy made the decision to pull the vehicle over, with the driver presumably assuming the pullover would only result in a speeding ticket.

According to a press release on the matter, the deputy sensed that something was off, relying on ‘training and instincts’ to initiate a search.

A K9 unit was deployed to the scene and indicated that narcotics may be inside of the vehicle. This provided the probable cause for additional searching, with a search of the inside of the vehicle revealing that the truck was carrying 21 bundles of a substance that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine, weighing 43.62 pounds in total.

The driver, a 41-year-old of Sinaloa, was arrested on multiple felonies related to drug trafficking, to be held at the Eagle County Detention Facility on a $100,000 bond.

“We take pride in our GRANITE’s dedication to safeguarding Eagle County from narcotics. Their vigilance and expertise disrupt the flow of illegal drugs and hold offenders accountable, making our community safer,” read a statement from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office. “This multi-jurisdictional drug task force, known as GRANITE, combines efforts from of Eagle County Sheriff’s Office and the Vail Police Department, along with other local law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking in our community.”

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.