A speeding violation led to a 42 pound drug haul for McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Salazar Oct. 13.

When Salazar stopped a vehicle on I-40 at Mile Marker 20, he noticed the statements given by the driver and the passenger didn’t match. That led him to ask for consent to search the vehicle. The driver said he could search.

He found 42 pounds of methamphetamine and a gun.

“It’s incredible what’s moving down our Interstate at any given time. I’m glad this load of meth didn’t make [it] into the hands of our community or any other community for that matter,” Undersheriff James Maiorano III said.

Three men were arrested. They are: Martin Cabrera-Villa, 31, of Tijuana, Mexico; José Marquez, 20, of Indio, Calif.; and Joseph Barrera, 32, of Brawley, Calif.

The three face charges of trafficking a controlled substance by possession, with intent to distribute (methamphetamine) and unlawful carrying of a firearm.

Cabrera-Villa also faces charges out of Oregon for trafficking methamphetamine and heroin.