A routine afternoon drive on Interstate 5 turned into a full-blown narcotics takedown after officers uncovered more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in San Joaquin County, prosecutors said.

District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that his office has filed charges against Jerica Anderson and Rochelle Beck after California Highway Patrol officers pulled their vehicle over around 3:18 p.m. on January 5. The stop occurred on northbound I-5 just south of Highway 12 — a stretch of road better known for farm traffic than drug pipelines.

According to the DA’s office, the stop quickly raised red flags. Anderson, who was driving, and Beck, the passenger, allegedly gave officers conflicting stories about where they were coming from and where they were headed. The inconsistencies prompted officers to call in a CHP K9 unit.

That decision cracked the case wide open.

The drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a bag containing approximately 108.75 pounds of methamphetamine. Authorities described the haul as a massive quantity intended for distribution — enough to flood communities with what prosecutors called pure poison.

The meth was seized on the spot, and both women were taken into custody and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. They were later arraigned in San Joaquin County Superior Court, where bail was set at $150,000 each.

Freitas praised the traffic stop as an example of effective enforcement preventing large-scale harm.

“The California Highway Patrol’s excellent enforcement work resulted in the seizure of more than 108 pounds of methamphetamine from our highways,” he said. “My office will not hesitate to use the law to its fullest extent to stop these traffickers and keep this poison out of our communities.”