Colorado task force seizes over 23 pounds of cocaine in traffic stop

One person was taken into custody, while 23 pounds of cocaine was seized by a Colorado task force in a traffic stop.

On Wednesday, around 8:00 p.m., the Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team executed a traffic stop on I-70 near Gypsum.

The driver was pulled over by a uniformed deputy and a K9 was eventually deployed which alerted the vehicle positive for narcotics.

A search led to the discovery of an AR-15 magazine with blank rounds, a 1911 pistol magazine, .45 caliber rounds, three cell phones, and "10 brick-shaped packages that weighed over 23 pounds," according to the G.R.A.N.I.T.E team.

The packages had presumptively tested positive for cocaine, which led to the driver, who has been identified as 24-year-old Angel Gabriel Valadez, being taken into custody.

Valadez is currently being held on a $100,000 bond for two counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, special offender (cocaine), and conspiracy.

The Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team is a multi-jurisdictional drug task force that's composed of local law enforcement partners and detectives from the Eagle County Sheriff's Office and the Vail Police Department.