Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies reportedly found over 200 gift cards, counterfeit currency and narcotics during a traffic stop Wednesday night in Newhall.
The traffic stop occurred at 7:42 p.m. on the 25000 block of Newhall Avenue after deputies spotted a vehicle with several vehicle code violations, according to Deputy Natalie Arriaga, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
After speaking with the man at the wheel, deputies discovered that not only he and his other male passenger had outstanding warrants, but that they were also in possession of narcotics and narcotic paraphernalia, Arriaga said.
The third passenger in the vehicle, a woman, was allegedly in possession of narcotics, as well as counterfeit currency, Arriaga said.
Upon searching the vehicle, deputies also reportedly found 221 gift cards from a number of retail locations, including Lowe’s, Best Buy, Target, Nordstrom Rack, and more, Arriaga added.
All three suspects were then transported and booked at the SCV Sheriff’s Station. One man was booked for an alleged attempt of bringing drugs onto a jail property, the other man was booked on possession of drug paraphernalia, and the woman was booked on charges of alleged possession of a controlled substance and possession of counterfeit currency.
According to Arriaga, detectives are now working to discover where the gift cards came from, and if further charges will be levied against the suspects in connection to those.
Data from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reports that property crimes, when comparing Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 of 2019 and 2020, was down 4.59%. However, 2,350 total property crimes were reported in the first 11 months of 2020 and deputies as recently as Thursday were reminding residents to ensure their property was safe and secure at night.
