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A California traffic stop took a massive turn when a police K-9 sniffed out approximately 200 kilos, or roughly 440 pounds, of cocaine allegedly packed inside an SUV filled with cardboard boxes, authorities said.
The Alhambra Police Department said the incident began after officers conducted a traffic stop along Valley Boulevard near the 710 Freeway.
Although authorities did not say what prompted the initial stop, they noticed the driver appeared to have an unusual amount of cargo in his vehicle.
“The driver was transporting more cardboard boxes than Amazon on Prime Day,” police said in a social media post.
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K-9 Otis helped Alhambra police discover approximately 200 kilos, or roughly 440 pounds, of cocaine allegedly packed inside an SUV, authorities said. (Alhambra Police Department)
That’s when the driver began offering an explanation for the boxes, according to police.
“At first, he said he was heading home to Huntington Park from his cousin’s house and that the boxes were not his,” police said in the post.
But that wasn’t the man’s only story.
“Later came version 2.0 of his lore,” police continued, “and he said he was taking diesel parts to a shop that his friend owned.”
Up stepped K-9 Otis and his handler to help investigate.
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K-9 Otis was hailed by Alhambra police following a traffic stop that led to the seizure of approximately 200 kilos of cocaine. (Alhambra Police Department)
Police said Otis alerted officers to the vehicle, prompting them to search the SUV.
“Thanks to Otis’ top-tier nose, he alerted to the vehicle, and officers discovered the SUV was packed with approximately 200 kilos of cocaine,” police said.
The driver, identified as Julio Rangel of Huntington Park, was arrested and booked into the Alhambra Police Department jail, according to police.
Following the drug bust, Otis was hailed as the hero of the operation.
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Alhambra police praised K-9 Otis after he alerted officers to an SUV that authorities said contained approximately 440 pounds of cocaine. (Alhambra Police Department)
“A round of a-paws for our good boy, K9 Otis,” police said.
Users on social media also praised the K-9’s work, with many arguing that Otis had earned a promotion — and was perhaps even on track to become police chief one day.
“Give that dog a bone!” another user exclaimed.
One user joked about Otis’ ability to sniff out criminals.
“No One escapes from the Long Paw of …. The DOG”
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Others suggested that, at the very least, Otis deserved a big steak dinner.