A tractor-trailer’s homemade license plate wasn’t good enough to fool a motorcycle officer in Southern California – or anyone else.
Moorpark Police Senior Deputy David Anaya was helping a motorist on the side of the road last month when he saw the big truck roll by at about 15-20 miles per hour.
“There was a host of mechanical violations on the truck but what really stuck out was the manufactured license plate,” Anaya told CNN.
The plate’s numbers were crooked, scraggly and all different sizes instead of the clean, yellow font you would expect to see on a California plate.
But that wasn’t the only clue.
Instead of the state’s name, the plate said “CALIFAS,” which is Spanish slang for California.
Anaya pulled the truck over and saw that the driver appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.
After a DUI investigation, the driver was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and being an unlicensed driver. He also had an active warrant for hit and run driving, according to police.
Anaya said a small amount of the drugs were in plain sight in the vehicle.
The truck was towed away because it was unsafe to drive.
Moorpark is about an hour outside of Los Angeles, and Anaya said the road he was on is a popular shortcut for truck drivers.
He says its not uncommon for drivers to have fake documents.
“Some of them are pretty good and some of them are pretty obvious that they are fraudulent,” he said.
This plate was not one of the good ones.
