California Man Visits Yellowstone “Saw Yogi Bear” Police Find 8 Pounds of Meth

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA – A man from California was given more than a 15-year prison sentence after authorities discovered eight pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a spare tire after he told police he saw Yogi Bear while visiting Yellowstone National Park.

32-year-old Manuel Paz Sanchez was given 15 years and 8 months federal prison sentence last Thursday following his guilty plea back in May to the possession with intent to distribute meth, according to a news release by the Montana District Attorney’s office.

Court documents show that Sanchez was in a rental car when he was stopped on December 12, 2017, by the Montana Highway Patrol for trailing too closely behind a car. He told police during the stop that he was driving on his way to Bismarck, North Dakota, and was coming from Idaho where he was visiting his family, and that he was planning to fly back to California after he arrived.

Sanchez wasn’t able to give the name of the city he visited during the interview with police but recalled he’d just come from Yellowstone National Park, and claimed he saw Yogi Bear there, according to a report by FOX6.

The officer was suspicious of Sanchez’s story and asked for permission to perform a search of the vehicle, Sanchez then gave consent. Police discovered a deflated spare tire inside, which the officers thought was unusual for being a rental car.

After the tire was transported to a repair nearby, six vacuum-sealed packages were found that contained a bit more than eight pounds of meth, which is around 30,000 doses.

On top of Sanchez’s prison sentence, he was ordered to undergo supervised release for five years.

You could say that Sanchez is not smarter than the average bear.