A 38-year-old Reno man was jailed on $233,505 bail after deputies found 60 grams of cocaine when he was pulled over Sunday night for driving too slowly.
Efren Gonzalez-Santana Sr. was charged with several felony drug charges, driving under the influence and child endangerment because his 14-year-old son was in his vehicle.
A deputy observed Gonzalez-Santana driving 50 mph in a posted 65-mph zone in the left lane of Highway 395 near the intersection of Johnson Lane.
As a line of cars moved around him on the right, the deputy followed the suspect's 1987 Honda CRX and observed that the driver was having difficulty maintaining his travel lane. Gonzalez-Santana was pulled over and the deputy observed the suspect to have red and watery eyes and difficulty talking.
A search of the vehicle yielded 60 grams of cocaine and a small amount of marijuana.
Luke, the Carson City Sheriff's Office drug dog, found the majority of the cocaine in a duffel bag in the rear of the vehicle.
Gonzalez-Santana was charged with trafficking, schedule I, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, under the influence of a controlled substance, driving under the influence, child endangerment, expired registration, no insurance, failure to maintain a lane and impeding.
The trafficking charge is a category A felony, punishable by up to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after a minimum of 10 years, or up to 25 years in prison with parole after 10 years and a $500,000 fine. The suspect's son was released to a family member.
