A routine traffic stop in Alhambra turned into a major drug bust after a police K-9 detected roughly 440 pounds of cocaine hidden inside an SUV loaded with cardboard boxes, according to the Alhambra Police Department.
Officers pulled the vehicle over along Valley Boulevard near the 710 Freeway. Police did not say what initially prompted the stop, but officers noticed an unusually large amount of cargo packed inside the SUV.
When asked about the boxes, the driver gave officers two different explanations, police said. He first told them he was heading home to Huntington Park from his cousin’s house and that the boxes did not belong to him. He later changed his story, saying he was delivering diesel parts to a shop owned by a friend.
Police brought in K-9 Otis and his handler to investigate further. Otis alerted officers to the vehicle, leading to a search of the SUV. Inside, officers found approximately 200 kilos, or about 440 pounds, of cocaine.
The driver, identified as Julio Rangel of Huntington Park, was arrested and booked into the Alhambra Police Department jail.
Police praised Otis’s work in a social media post following the arrest, calling the find a credit to the dog’s detection skills. The department’s post describing the driver’s shifting explanations and Otis’s role in the bust drew attention online, with many commenters praising the K-9’s work.
