YCSO K9 deputy’s partner detects marijuana during traffic stop
Sedona AZ (December 1, 2016) – Yesterday, during a multi-agency K9 operation on Interstate 40 in the Ash Fork area, a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office K9 deputy stopped a 2016 white Dodge Charger for an equipment violation on eastbound I-40 around 1:00 in the afternoon. The Dodge held three occupants identified as Jabril Burrell, 31, the driver, and passengers Andre Ortega, 21, and a female adult. Both named occupants are from California.
During a conversation with the driver about the traffic violation, he seemed abnormally nervous. At the same time, the deputy could detect the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle’s interior. When asked, Burrell denied a consent to search request from the deputy saying that the smell came from a certain cigar he had been smoking.
Andre Ortega arrested
The K9 deputy sought to verify his suspicions using his K9 partner “Gemma,” a canine trained and certified by the National Police Canine Association to detect specified drug odors including marijuana, cocaine and heroin. During an exterior sniff of the Dodge, “Gemma” displayed a positive alert indicating the odor of illicit drugs within the vehicle. A search of the vehicle’s trunk revealed more than 15 pounds of marijuana in several suitcases.
Burrell and Ortega admitted to possessing the marijuana which was being transported to the east coast. They were arrested and booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center on charges of Transportation and/or Sales of Marijuana and Possession of Marijuana for Sale. Both men remain in-custody and bond has not been set as of this writing. The female passenger was not charged.
Jabril Burrell arrested
In an additional incident, while YCSO K9 units were monitoring I-40 traffic in the same area, a radar reading of 131 mph registered for a white Volvo travelling west. Using radio communication between patrol cars, deputies were finally able to stop the vehicle. The driver, a 24-year-old female, stated she was speeding because of a need to use the restroom. Fortunately, she was not impaired, however she was arrested and booked on a charge of Criminal Speed, misdemeanor, and has since been released.
Citizens can contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with information or questions at 928-771-3260 or the YCSO website at www.ycsoaz.gov.
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