A Placer County Sheriff’s narcotics-certified dog sniffed out a wrapped birthday gift with more than two pounds of methamphetamine inside late Wednesday night in Auburn, sending two out-of-towners to jail.
Donald David Owen, 46, of Oakdale and Sarah Marie Bastin, 43, of Modesto, were pulled over by a deputy on Auburn Ravine Road at 10:42 Wednesday night for traffic violations. Owen was driving on a suspended driver’s license and was on searchable probation. K9 Jet was deployed to sniff the car, and he alerted on several items, one of which was a box covered in birthday gift wrap.
Inside the box, deputies found 2.29 pounds of meth inside a large, zipped plastic bag. Owen and Bastin were booked at the Placer County Jail on charges of sales and transportation of a controlled substance, plus conspiracy.
Owen is being held on $280,000 bail and Bastin’s bail is set at $250,000.