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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... Men sentenced in heroin case 30 pounds of drugs hidden in spare tire Comment By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 4:25 PM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 4:25 PM » Social News Two men have been sentenced after Oregon State Police found 30 pounds of heroin hidden in a spare tire during an Interstate 5 traffic stop. The men were stopped in 2013 for speeding near milepost 10 south of Ashland. OSP Senior Trooper Greg Costanzo found the spare tire beneath the vehicle. The tire was taken back to an OSP office, where law enforcement personnel opened the tire and found the heroin, according to court documents. Investigators said the heroin was valued at more than $600,000. The seizure exceeded all of OSP's 2011 heroin seizures combined, according to the agency. Jose Raul Esparza, Jr., 27, of Medford was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2014 after pleading guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute at least one kilogram of the drug. His case was transferred from Jackson County Circuit Court to U.S. District Court after he was federally indicted. On Friday, co-defendant Armanda Villasenor, 23, of El Centro, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of delivery of heroin in Jackson County Circuit Court. Both men had faced multiple charges before reaching plea agreements. Villasenor was sentenced to three years of probation. He had already served 30 days in jail. Both men had originally been held in the Jackson County Jail on $500,000 bail each. Villasenor had little to say in court Friday. After the plea and sentencing hearing, he said, "I was just doing the driver a favor." Villasenor was the passenger in the vehicle at the time it was pulled over, while Esparza was driving, according to a police affidavit. Villasenor declined to say where he and Esparza were headed with the heroin. Esparza's defense attorney had filed a motion during the federal court case to disallow the heroin as evidence, arguing the search of the Ford van driven by his client was done without a warrant and violated Esparza's constitutional rights. The defense attorney said Trooper Costanzo's drug-sniffing dog Cookie had failed to give a signal during the traffic stop indicating it had smelled drugs. Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous . By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 4:25 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501