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Meth-charge couple headed to court By JILL BRISKEY Two Californians accused of trafficking 14 pounds of pure methamphetamine through the Rogue Valley are slated to appear in federal court Monday. Police said the seized meth could have been processed into 70 pounds of street-quality drug worth at least $84,000. Indalecio Ibarra, 49, and his wife Oralia Medina, 28, were arrested Monday by Oregon State Police after a search of their 1992 Isuzu Trooper revealed the drug stashed in hidden compartments. Police reported that the driver gave permission to search the vehicle. An OSP trooper had stopped the couple along the Interstate 5 viaduct in Medford around 10:30 p.m. for traveling 66 mph in a 55 mph zone. The family�s two children, 2 and 4, as well as Ibarra�s mother, were also inside the vehicle. Ibarra and Medina, residents of Watsonville, Calif., face federal charges of possession and distribution of meth. They will appear before U.S. Magistrate John Cooney at 1 p.m. Monday. Court records show that Ibarra and Medina have not been indicted and remain lodged in the Jackson County Jail. The two have a right to a hearing before a judge to determine probable cause. Trooper Pam Gaither said she stopped the couple initially for speeding. After speaking to Ibarra, Gaither said she grew suspicious and asked to search the vehicle. State police are trained to spot "indicators" during routine traffic stops � signs that can tip officers to possible illegal activity. "There are all sorts of indicators to look for," she said. "They key us into the fact that something is wrong." Gaither wouldn�t say what prompted her to search Ibarra�s vehicle, adding that she doesn�t want to tip criminals off to what indicators police look for. Although Ibarra spoke English, Gaither said she handed him a consent search form, written in both English and Spanish, which he read and signed. "They didn�t seem to be that concerned," Gaither said. Inside the vehicle, crowded with luggage and a lawnmower, Gaither said she started "digging" after a drug-sniffing dog indicated the presence of narcotics. "We started digging and I�m pretty tenacious," Gaither said, adding that the meth was found stashed in a compartment under a seat. The meth was pure and uncut, Gaither added. "Technically, this 14 pounds would have made between 55 and 70 pounds of meth," she said, depending on what products the drug was cut with and how many times it was cut. Police believe that Ibarra and Medina were just passing through the area and the meth was not necessarily intended for the Rogue Valley. "This isn�t a local thing," she said. "Interstate 5 is a corridor from Canada to California." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.