July 17, 2022 - On Thursday, July 14^th, officers with the California Highway Patrol arrested 34-year-old Edson Valdovinos of Seattle. He was booked into the Fresno County Jail on charges of evading police and transporting drugs for sale.

CHP officers attempted to make a traffic stop on Interstate 5. The driver, later identified as Edson Valdovinos, refused to pull over and lead officers on a pursuit. He traveled to the area of S. Tuolumne and W. Cerini Avenues, south of Cantu Creek. Once near the California Aqueduct, Valdovinos got out of his car and threw a large container into the canal. When the object did not sink, Valdovinos got into the water and stood on the box to submerge it. Officers took him into custody, but the box was nowhere to be found.

Friday morning, deputies with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team responded to the Aqueduct to attempt to recover the container. After a short time in the water, deputies were able to collect a large speaker box. Inside were several packages, which were determined to be an approximate total of 15 lbs. of cocaine. Detectives with the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT) collected the narcotics and are now handling the investigation.

Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Reference case #22-8529.

Source & photos: Fresno County Sheriff's Office