Two men arrested during traffic stop

A routine traffic stop along Interstate 40 resulted in the arrest of two California men for trafficking narcotics and the seizure of cash, marijuana and a firearm.

Michael Dulay, 24 and Jaime Pilar, 23, both of Milpitas, Calif., are being held in the Quay County Detention Center charged with three felonies, said Quay County Sheriff Joe Schallert.

Schallert said the men are charged with trafficking a controlled substance, possession of marijuana over eight ounces and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

The men were arrested by Quay County Deputy Mark Dahlsten during a traffic stop Friday morning on I-40 east of Tucumcari, Schallert said.

Schallert said Dulay presented Dahlsten with a fake I.D. and was driving on a suspended license. He said several items of drug paraphernalia had been noticed in the vehicle.

“Dahlsten was given consent to search the vehicle further,” Schallert said.

Dahlsten searched the vehicle with the aid of K-9 “Toro,” who alerted Dalhsten to the trunk of the vehicle.

Dahlsten found $16,140 and a loaded .45-caliber handgun in a backpack located in the trunk of the vehicle, Schallert said. Four pounds of marijuana was found hidden in a speaker box in the trunk, the sheriff said.

Both men are being held in the Quay County Detention Center on $56,000 bond, according to jail officials.