MAUMEE, OHIO -- The Ohio State Highway Patrol says they seized about $2 million worth of cocaine in a single traffic stop along the Ohio Turnpike Friday afternoon.
Troopers stopped a 2005 Ford F-150 as it was eastbound on the turnpike near milepost 57 around 1:15 p.m. Friday. The truck, with California plates, was towing a flatbed trailer without registration and was pulled over for marked lane violations. After troopers observed criminal indicators, a drug-sniffing dog was called in and alerted authorities to the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle revealed 20 kilos of cocaine valued at approximately $2 million.
The driver, Audel Rios, 31, of Meriden, Conn. and passenger, Christian Paul Carrillo-Meza, 27, of Mexico, were charged with aggravated possession of cocaine and aggravated trafficking. They have been arraigned in Maumee Municipal Court on the felony drug charges. If convicted, both suspects face up to 20 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.
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