Passenger Trains > Drug Bust on Amtrak Train [California Zephyr perhaps?]

Drug bust on Amtrak train

ROSEVILLE, Calif. -- A Colorado man was arrested last week when a Placer County Sheriff's K-9 found a large stash of marijuana aboard an Amtrak train in Colfax.

Sheriff's deputies were called to assist Amtrak police officers while the train was stopped in Colfax Tuesday afternoon. K-9 Okar, who is trained in locating narcotics, alerted on the luggage of Daniel Ray Vialpando, 27, of Colorado. Inside the luggage, deputies found five pounds of packaged marijuana.

Vialpando, who was traveling alone from Sacramento to Colorado, was arrested and booked at the Placer County Jail on charges of marijuana sales and transportation. His bail is set at $110,000. He was also wanted on a warrant from Mariposa County.

(The preceding report appeared on the Web site www.rocklintoday.com on January 19, 2010.)

Reported by Tina Fey on SNL a few years back:

"Amtrak: America's favorite way to travel...with weed."

A warrant from Mariposa County? Holy smokes, he must be highly wanted. NOTHING happens in Mariposa County!

AmTrip Wrote:
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> A warrant from Mariposa County? Holy smokes, he
> must be highly wanted. NOTHING happens in Mariposa
> County!

I agree....! My friends and I stayed in Mariposa [town] when we went to Yosemite. I would think that Mariposa County would have plenty of opportunity to grow some weed!

Raillady
West Sacramento, CA

That's crazy, but stranger things have happened!

If this occurred at Colfax, it would have to be the California Zephyr.

A team of federal marshals with a drug-sniffing dog were aboard the eastbound California Zephyr when I rode last October from Emeryville to Reno. I believe the marshals were Reno-based, riding west to Truckee on Train #5 to do a check for contraband, then riding back to Reno aboard Train #6. That would give them an hour to sweep the train for possible drug-smuggling activity.

By the way, no arrests made the day I traveled.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/10 15:35 by MarinCommuter.

This is at least the second time that such a bust was recently uncovered via the CA Zephyr. What is going on! Supposedly there was "code talk" and even a special routing that had to be followed, which I believe may have started off in Micigan (or somewhere in the upper Midwest). One article led me to believe the "drug traffic" was between the West Coast and Michigan. This was all from the first incident that was uncovered. The people involved were doing one-way flights to California and then taking Amtrak back as their return. The first "bust" hit various newspapers and news organizations due to the fact that it was such an elaborate scheme. Let's just say it was quite the read!!!

warrant, fishing w/o a license.

cherrycitycinderdec Wrote:
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> warrant, fishing w/o a license.

LOL--probably so!

five pounds of weed is way into the commercial dealer space, so it would be tough to hide that from the dog.

Had DEA get on the train once in Roseville, we took them to Colfax and by the time we got there they had their man, going to Ottumwa, IA with a shoulder bag of weed, shouldn't have bought that one way ticket buddy.

fjc Wrote:
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> Had DEA get on the train once in Roseville, we took them to Colfax and by the time we got there
> they had their man, going to Ottumwa, IA with a shoulder bag of weed, shouldn't have bought that
> one way ticket buddy.

Uhh... I'm talking the family on the CZ this summer, on a one-way ticket to Cali (flying home is a bit cheaper and gives us another day to play tourist). Does this mean *I'm* setting off alerts and can expect a shakedown? I don't THINK my kids are packing anything, but I'd hate to find out via the dogs. ; )

Perhaps not, but you never know, I think since your traveling with kids you may not set off any alarm bells.

The guy in this case that I remember was in his 20's, and if I'm not mistaken also there was a tip on him anyways.

When I came from back east after some training for Amtrak, instead of taking the train back, myself and another classmate bought tickets from BWI to OAK on Southworst and instead of one ways to avoid anything that might pop up, we spent the extra $27 bucks on a round trip ticket.

rustys6004 Wrote:
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> Uhh... I'm talking the family on the CZ this
> summer, on a one-way ticket to Cali (flying home
> is a bit cheaper and gives us another day to play
> tourist). Does this mean *I'm* setting off alerts
> and can expect a shakedown? I don't THINK my kids
> are packing anything, but I'd hate to find out via
> the dogs. ; )

Maybe he is a supplier for many of the marijuna clinics that are now opening "legally" (i.e., with no interference from state or county law enforcement) in several counties in Colorado?