Cottonwood Police Seized Drugs And More During Multiple Traffic Stops Last Week On I-17

Cottonwood Police were conducting interdiction operations on Interstate-17 last week, in the area between Rimrock and Camp Verde exits, when they conducted multiple traffic stops. Back on Thursday, one of the stops involved a 2009 Acura for an expired registration. During the stop the driver was identified as 24-year-old Alan Leyva of Mexico. It was during the stop, the owner of the vehicle told officers Alan stole the car. The owner gave officers permission to search the vehicle. They found a multi-colored duffel bag, which contained three brick-shaped objects. They tested positive for cocaine, with a total weight of just over seven-and-a-half pounds. Leyva was arrested on drug and auto theft charges. During the same operation, Cottonwood officers stopped a 2000 Nissan truck for illegal window tint. During the stop, officers deployed K9 “Otto” to do a free-air sniff of the vehicle. “Otto” alerted officers to the vehicle where they found a usable amount of cocaine and meth. They also located 13 forged U.S. $100 bills. Officers arrested 37-year-old Jose Navarro-Ruiz of Phoenix and 35-year-old Santamaria Santoyo-Padilla of Thousand Palms, California. They were booked on drug and forgery charges. All were booked into the Yavapai County Detention Center.