Sheriff’s deputies make meth bust during traffic stop in Carpinteria

CARPINTERIA, Calif. - A Buellton man was arrested Tuesday morning after Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies uncovered a large amount of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Carpinteria.

Just after midnight Tuesday morning, deputies stopped a black Chevrolet Equinox that was traveling north on Highway 101 at Casitas Pass.

During the stop, deputies searched the vehicle and found about one pound of meth in the dashboard of the car. They also found a replica firearm and prescription medication not belonging to the driver, 53-year-old John Scott Bavaro of Buellton.

Bavaro was arrested at the scene of the traffic stop.

Detectives with the sheriff's office were able to obtain search warrants for Bavaro's home on the 400 block of Avenue of the Flags in Buellton. Those search warrants yielded the discovery of evidence of drug sales, plus an additional seven grams of meth and four grams of psilocybin mushrooms.

Bavaro was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for felony drugs and weapon charges. He is being held on $50,000 bail.