Traffic stop in western Colorado leads to discovery of fentanyl and methamphetamine, 2 people arrested

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said a traffic stop led to the discovery of fentanyl and methamphetamine while two men were arrested.

Around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Highway 34 for an equipment violation, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said a K9 was deployed and detected drugs inside the vehicle, leading officers to find 25 gross grams of fentanyl and 78.1 raw grams of methamphetamine.

The driver, Richard Lawing, 35, of Grand Lake, and the passenger, Cameron Gordanier, 25, of Buena Vista were arrested and booked into the Grand County Jail.

“This case, along with another incident, resulted in our patrol deputies and K9 teams recovering over 200 grams of illegal drugs on a Tuesday evening in Grand County,” said Sheriff Brett Schroetlin. “The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to keeping these drugs out of our community through strong enforcement and holding these offenders accountable.”

Lawing was charged with:

• Illegal possession of Schedule I/II controlled substances
• Unlawful intent to distribute a Schedule I/II controlled substance
• Violation of a protection order
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Drove a vehicle without a valid driver’s license
• I drove a defective vehicle

Gordanier was arrested on an active arrest warrant issued by the Chaffee County Courts for a controlled substance violation, according to the sheriff’s office.