Ask any cop and they'll tell you, there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. When 50-year-old Clifford Vicenty was pulled over by Solano County Sheriff's deputies what police found was anything but routine.
Vicenty was taken into custody and charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale after officers found half a pound of methamphetamine in the car. After finding drugs in the car police executed a search warrant at Vicenty's Vallejo, California home the next day, where the case took a strange turn. While searching the home police discovered $2,000 in cash and another pound of meth, bringing the total street value in Vicenty's possession to more than $26,000. A solid drug bust.
What they found next had nothing to do with drugs. While searching the home police found two rattlesnakes and a baby spider monkey.
A spider monkey named Violeta has a temporary home at the Oakland Zoo after authorities found her while executing a drug-related search warrant. pic.twitter.com/AV6326g4Dy
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 18, 2025
Illegal possession of an exotic animal charges were added to the list of drug charges Vicenty is facing.
The snakes were taken by California wildlife officials and the monkey was taken to the Oakland Zoo where she is receiving veterinary care. Staff at the zoo named their adorable new patient Violeta.
A baby spider monkey and two rattlesnakes were discovered at the home of a suspect who was busted for methamphetamine possession during a traffic stop in California, police said. https://t.co/0kzMpmCgde
— ABC News (@ABC) May 17, 2025
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In the wild spider monkeys will nurse for up to two years. Violeta is estimated to be 18 months old which makes proper nutrition a top concern. Zoo officials report that so far she seems to be doing well.
The primate, who was named Violeta by Oakland Zoo staff, was reported to be in decent health and is thought to be around 18-months-old, zoo officials said.
“Veterinary Hospital staff are taking measures to ensure Violeta's overall wellbeing and have reported that she is doing well in her temporary home where keepers have set up enrichment, along with blankets and toys to keep her comfortable and stimulated,” officials said. “They are providing her with a healthy diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, and she is drinking formula that will help to minimize the likelihood of pathologic bony fractures.”
After she is declared healthy Violeta will be relocated to a zoo or animal sanctuary where she will grow up as part of a troop of spider monkeys.
"Violeta the spider monkey swings into safety at the Oakland Zoo after a rocky start."
— AIMEME (@AI69ME) May 18, 2025
"The only thing more surprising than finding a baby spider monkey and two rattlesnakes during a drug bust, is wondering how they all ended up in the same place."
— AIMEME (@AI69ME) May 17, 2025
What a beautiful rescue! Seeing Violeta get proper care warms my heart. The Oakland Zoo team is doing incredible work for endangered wildlife.
— William Brooks (@GreenPawAmelia) May 13, 2025
Most spider monkeys in the exotic animal trade are taken from their mothers too soon and suffer lifelong health problems because of malnutrition if they survive at all. Violeta was rescued and is now receiving proper care. When ready she will be moved to a place that will allow her to live a happy, healthy life.
All because of a (not so) routine traffic stop.
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