Over A Pound Of Cocaine Found In Traffic Stop, Police Say

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — More than a pound of cocaine was found in a hidden compartment during recent a traffic stop in Santa Rosa, police said.

Around 1:45 p.m. Friday, an officer with the Santa Rosa Police Department saw someone in a black Mercedes-Benz speeding and driving erratically on U.S. Highway 101 near the Baker Avenue off-ramp.

The officer pulled over the Mercedes driver near Baker Avenue and Colgan Avenue in Santa Rosa and found two men in the car. Both were detained when the officer learned that the driver, Anthony Rojas Salgado, was unlicensed and the passenger, Chad John Evansco, had a warrant for his arrest.

Officers searched the Mercedes as part of their investigation and found a large amount of cash and drug packaging materials in the trunk, a police sergeant said.

It is alleged that in a hidden trunk compartment, officers also found a vacuum-sealed bag with a large amount of cocaine. The total weight of the cocaine was later determined to be 1.34 pounds, according to police.

Neither Salgado nor Evansco admitted being in possession of the cocaine or anything else in the Mercedes, police said.

Both men were arrested and booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for sales.

Evansco was also arrested on his outstanding warrant.