19-year-old charged after deputies find marijuana products and a gun during traffic stop

IDAHO FALLS — A local man was arrested Friday evening after a traffic stop resulted in deputies finding drugs and a handgun in his vehicle.

According to a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, a traffic stop was initiated after a vehicle had failed to stop at a stop sign near the intersection of 15th East and Iona Road.

When deputies contacted the driver, identified as Rigoberto Avila Mendoza, the smell of marijuana was coming from the vehicle.

A search of Mendoza’s driver’s license shows the 19-year-old had a suspended license.

Deputies asked Mendoza if there were any illegal drugs in the vehicle, to which he responded that there weren’t.

The release states Mendoza was detained, and a search of the vehicle began, where deputies found a handgun, marijuana joints, and a large amount of THC edibles. In total, 163 grams of marijuana products were seized during the search.

After Mendoza was arrested and taken to the Bonneville County Jail, a small baggie of cocaine was found in his shoe, which weighed over 1 gram.

Mendoza was booked and charged with felony possession of cocaine, felony possession of marijuana, and felony introducing contraband into a correctional facility.

Though Mendoza has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

The post 19-year-old charged after deputies find marijuana products and a gun during traffic stop appeared first on East Idaho News.