Douglas County deputies seized 65 pounds of crystal methamphetamine Sunday night and arrested the man they say drove the vehicle in which the drugs were hidden. Officials say the drugs have a street value of more than $1 million.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page, deputies of the department’s Felony Interception Narcotic Detection unit, or F.I.N.D., stopped a 2006 Ford Freestar van for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation and a search of the vehicle, they found inside a false compartment, and inside it, 38 packages of what they believed to be crystal meth.

The van driver, 64-year-old Jose Garcia-Contreras from Eagle Pass, Texas, was then detained by deputies until the packaged substances could be tested at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The contents of those packages later tested positive for crystal meth.

Authorities placed Garcia-Contreras under arrest on charges of trafficking methamphetamine and having a false compartment in a motor vehicle. He is currently in the Douglas County Jail without bond.

About the Author

Keep Reading

As the violence at Macon State Prison has intensified, so, too, have the calls for ambulance service. And because of those calls, the county now finds itself dealing with an unexpected and costly burden: more than $100,000 in unpaid bills. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman