Vancouver man charged with having 5 pounds of meth in Longview Safeway parking lot

LONGVIEW — A man police say was arrested with nearly 5 pounds of meth in his SUV pleaded not guilty to possession with intent to deliver Monday in Cowlitz County Superior Court.

Victorino Medina Alvarez, 38, of Vancouver entered his not guilty plea with the help of a Spanish translator.

Alvarez was in the Cowlitz County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon; bail was set at $125,000.

The Longview police report the department’s street crimes unit and the Cowlitz County Crime Reduction Team seized 4.75 pounds of meth from Alvarez on Aug. 1 after a drug-sniffing police dog named Suki pointed out his Ford Explorer parked at the Ocean Beach Highway Safeway in Longview.

The local value of meth has been decreasing and therefore its availability increasing, according to the street crimes unit, as fentanyl has become more prevalent in Southwest Washington.

After a receiving a search warrant, Longview police report seizing the meth valued at more than $5,000.

Prior to the search, the police report said Alvarez admitted to having illegal drugs in the SUV with plans to sell them.

His trial is tentatively set for Oct. 1.