A routine tip led deputies to a job site where a K9 alert quickly changed the course of the investigation.
According to the Storey County Sheriff's Office in an online post, deputies began investigating on March 30 after receiving an anonymous tip that two men were selling narcotics at a job site in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.
Deputies confirmed one of the men, 40-year-old Michael Espinoza, from Reno, was at the site and contacted him. A K9 named Chino conducted a free air sniff of a car with permission from job site management and alerted to the presence of narcotics, according to the sheriff's office.
The second man, Thomas Lee, a 38-year-old man from Reno, was also at the scene with the car and was detained. Deputies then conducted a probable cause search.
Investigators said they found about 22.6 grams of cocaine, 3.7 ounces of marijuana, 46 grams of THC concentrate, along with drug paraphernalia, a scale, and multiple baggies.
Espinoza was later located as he was attempting to leave the area and was detained, according to deputies.
Both men were arrested and taken to the Storey County Detention Facility. They face charges including possession of a controlled substance, possession for sale, possession of marijuana over one ounce, possession of THC concentrate, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
(The Storey County Sheriff’s Office contributed to this story.)
