Traffic Stop for Expired Tags Leads to Discovery of Drugs and ATM

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JAMESTOWN – A traffic stop for expired tags led to two arrests for a stolen ATM machine and transporting methamphetamine for sale.

On Monday, August 20, 2018, in the early-morning hours deputies from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Station conducted a traffic stop of a Chevrolet Envoy on Rawhide Road in Jamestown, California. The deputy made contact with the driver, Irving Gallego, 50, and Teresa Abreo, 37, both of Columbia, California. Inside the vehicle, the deputy found 35.28 grams of methamphetamine, plastic baggies, and a digital scale. Also inside the SUV was a full-size ATM.

Gallego admitted to taking the ATM from behind the Cruisers gas station in Copperopolis. Gallego and Abreo were arrested and booked into the Tuolumne County Jail for the possession of a controlled substance and transporting a controlled substance for sale. Authorities said that Gallego will likely face additional charges pending the completion of the investigation into the stolen ATM,