Drugs found in special operation traffic stop

An unmistakable smell hit Carson City Sheriff's Deputy Dan Ochsenschlager as soon as he popped the trunk Thursday afternoon.

"Oh yeah, this is it," the deputy said.

Pushing aside clothing and a Top Ramen soup packet, Ochsenschlager pulled out a large blue tube and twisted off the lid.

Marijuana buds popped out like a jack-in-the-box. He reached in and grabbed another tube. The same thing happened.

An estimated six ounces of marijuana and 75 tablets of ecstasy were recovered in the stop of the Nissan Passat at the intersection of highways 50 West and 395.

The 19-year-old Sacramento driver and his 18-year-old Reno girlfriend were arrested on drug trafficking charges. Their names were not released.

The arrests were the highlight of a 10-hour enforcement operation that the Carson City Sheriff's Department conducted with the help of the Department of Public Safety, Washoe Tribe and the University of Nevada, Reno Police Department.

Targeting two of the four entries into the county, eight officers watched vehicles at the junction of Highway 50 West and Highway 395, and another eight watched traffic on Highway 50 East into Lyon County from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dozens of vehicles were stopped. Citations were issued for minor infractions and arrests were made for more serious violations like drunken driving.

"We're just pulling our resources together to make the best use of them," said Carson Sheriff's Special Operations Sgt. Brian Humphrey.

The exercise was so lucrative that Humphrey said he would likely enact it again. And again.

There was no overtime paid for this exercise. The help from other agencies will be repaid in like help by Carson City deputies, said Humphrey.

"We're trying to locate those criminals that are traveling in and through our community that are causing problems within our community as far as drugs, stolen property and stolen vehicles," he said. "We're all in this for the same goal, that's for the public's safety. Especially in a community that's as small as ours, interacting with all these agencies is important because we are coming across a lot of the same people."

- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.