California man arrested on felony drug charges

Drugs seized 

MESA COUNTY, Colo - A California man is facing felony drug charges after Western Colorado Drug Task Force Officers found 13 ounces of meth during a traffic stop Wednesday.

Jerald Miller, 41, of Sun City, CA was arrested on felony charges related to importing, distribution and possession of methamphetamine, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence.

 Just after 10:00 Wednesday morning a Mesa County Sheriff's Office member of the Western Colorado Drug Task Force approached Miller's SUV after it abruptly exited I-70 at Mack. 

Jerald Miller, 41
MCSO Photo 

The task force officer's K-9 Libby alerted to the presences of drugs. K-9 Libby is trained and certified to detect the odor of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana.

Marijuana and smoking paraphernalia was found inside the SUV. A backpack, believed to belong to Miller, was found abandoned on the offramp.  Inside officers found a plastic bag containing approximately 13 smaller baggies each containing about 1 ounce of a crystalline substance (13 ounces total). One of the baggies tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine. 

The amount found in Miller's bag is far more than personal use, but is consistent with distribution, according to the officer's documentations in his arrest report, .

Miller was booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility and is currently being held on $20,000 cash bond. For updated bond information on any inmate currently in our jail facility, visit our Inmate Inquiry System webpage.

The Western Colorado Drug Task Force is a partnership established in the early 1980’s between the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, the Grand Junction Police Department and the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. The Task Force is designed to fight the battles of drugs on the front lines and other crimes that go with dealing and using drugs. Grand Junction Police Chief John Camper and Mesa County Sheriff Matt Lewis agree this Task Force is effective and nationally competitive in the law enforcement field when it comes to knowledge, experience and teamwork. The Drug Task Force provides a refined level of service to the law abiding citizens of Mesa County and across the Western Slope.