A traffic stop for a code violation led to the discovery of 50 pounds of meth in a car's hidden compartment and the arrest of a man who identified himself as a police officer from Mexico, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
The agency said in a news release that deputies stopped the car on the 5 Freeway between Orange and San Diego counties. The department said the driver seemed extremely nervous and identified himself as a member of a police department in Mexico.
Authorities say 41-year-old Miguel Patron, of Ensenada, also showed an ID card that pictured him wearing a badge and identifying him as an Ensenada police officer.
When his car was searched, a drug-detecting dog located a hidden compartment. The Sheriff's Department says inside were packages of meth.
Patron was arrested and was being held on $200,000 bail. It wasn't clear whether he had an attorney.
NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.
