Purported School teacher arrested for transporting 19.5 pounds of methamphetamine

On February 21, 2012, at about 7:10 p.m., an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Officer stopped a 1997 BMW four-door sedan for speeding in a construction zone and for following another vehicle too closely. The traffic stop took place along Interstate 10 near Eloy.

The driver agreed to a search of his vehicle. A false compartment had been installed in the rear floorboard of the vehicle. Inside the compartment, officers found 12 packages of methamphetamine totaling 19.5 pounds. Four packages of cocaine were also discovered in the false compartment, totaling about 12 pounds. The combined street value of the drugs is about $300,000.

The driver of the vehicle, Ricardo Siqueiros, 32, of Nogales, Ariz., was arrested and booked into the Pinal County Jail on the following charges: possession of dangerous drugs for sale, transportation of dangerous drugs for sale, possession of narcotic drugs for sale and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale.

Mr. Siqueiros told officers he is employed as a teacher at a charter school in Nogales, Ariz.