Cops found drug dealer hiding meth in car tire after he said he’d seen YOGI BEAR in Yellowstone Park

Drug dealer, 32, gets 16 years in prison after suspicious cops searched his car when he said he’d seen YOGI BEAR in Yellowstone Park then they found 30,000 doses of meth hidden in a spare tire

  • Manuel Paz Sanchez Jr., 32, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison and to five years of supervised release on Thursday 
  • In 2017, Cops found 8lbs of methamphetamine hidden in spare tire of rental car
  • Tire repair kit sparked suspicion and cops found a deflated spare in the trunk
  • They took it to a repair shop where six, vacuum-sealed packages containing approximately 8.3 pounds were found in the rim, equal to 30,000 doses
  • California man pleaded guilty May to possession with intent to distribute meth
  • He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release on Thursday
  • In January 2018, Sanchez had faced life in prison and $10,000,000 in fines when he pleaded not guilty

A California man has been sentenced to almost 16 years in prison after cops found 30,000 doses of meth hidden in a spare tire during a vehicle search sparked after he claimed he’d seen Yogi Bear in Yellowstone Park.

Manuel Paz Sanchez Jr., 32, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison and to five years of supervised release on Thursday, almost two years after he made the claim about the cartoon character to a Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

Sanchez’s odd utterance about what supposedly occurred at Yellowstone – which spans across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming – came when a Montana Highway Patrol trooper had stopped the Ford sedan Sanchez was driving on December 12, 2017 near Columbus because it was too close to the car in front, Billings Gazette reported.

Manuel Paz Sanchez Jr., 32, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison and to five years of supervised release on Thursday

In 2017, Cops found 8lbs of methamphetamine hidden in spare tire of rental car and he claimed to have seen cartoon character Yogi Bear

In 2017, Cops found 8lbs of methamphetamine hidden in spare tire of rental car and he claimed to have seen cartoon character Yogi Bear

Sanchez claimed the sighting occurred in Yellowstone Park which spans across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

Sanchez claimed the sighting occurred in Yellowstone Park which spans across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

While Yogi Bear is a fictional character, in real life there are 75 franchised camp resorts modeled off Yogi’s make-believe home, Jellystone Park, throughout the US and Canada.

Characters including Ranger Smith, Boo-Boo, and Cindy appear there, licensed through Warner Brothers. 

Sanchez claimed he was travelling to Bismarck, North Dakota from Idaho, where he had been visiting family, and planned to fly back to California from Bismarck.

But the trooper on the Interstate 90 found his story suspicious – noting he couldn’t recall the name of the town he’d visited – and asked to search the vehicle.

The Department of Justice stated that the sole occupant of the car consented to the search where they found a tire repair kit, which was unusual for a rental vehicle.

In real life there are 75 franchised camp resorts modeled off Yogi Bear's home Jellystone Park throughout the US and Canada. Gardiner, New York is pictured

In real life there are 75 franchised camp resorts modeled off Yogi Bear’s home Jellystone Park throughout the US and Canada. Gardiner, New York is pictured

Characters including Ranger Smith, Boo-Boo, and Cindy appear at the parks, licensed through Warner Brothers

Characters including Ranger Smith, Boo-Boo, and Cindy appear at the parks, licensed through Warner Brothers

Documents state car had been rented three days earlier in Sacramento and it was supposed to have been returned a day prior.

Further suspicion arose when officers removed the spare tire from the trunk and it appeared to be deflated. 

When cops took it to a repair shop in Columbus and the tire was removed from the rim, they found six, vacuum-sealed packages containing approximately 8.3 pounds of meth.

The weight is equivalent to 30,000 doses.

Sanchez initially entered a not guilty plea in January 2018. 

If convicted of the possession with intent to distribute charge contained in the indictment, he faced life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and five years supervised release.

But he entered a guilty plea in May resulting in the reduced time and no fine.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk