Read more: Local, State, Crime, Drugs, Cocaine, Bust, Trailer, Truck, 75, Newport, I 75, Semi, Ellington, Jeremy Peters
MONROE, MICH. -- Monroe County Sheriff's deputies stopped a truck carrying an estimated $2.5 million in cocaine on I-75 over the holiday weekend.
Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Ellington stopped the tractor trailer around 10:30 a.m. Sunday near Newport Rd. on several equipment violations. While interviewing the driver, Carlos Moreno, 50, of Norwalk, Calif., and the co-driver, Jesus Santamaria, 46, of Anthony, NM, the deputy became suspicious of inconsistencies in their answers.
A second deputy, along with a narcotics canine, Mia, were called for assistance. Mia alerted deputies to the odor of narcotics coming from inside the trailer.
Inside the trailer, deputies found the front wall to contain a hidden compartment. A search of the compartment revealed 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of cocaine.
The cocaine has an estimated street value of $2.5 million.
The drugs and semi-trailer, which was transported a load of industrial wallpaper from Los Angeles to Detroit, have been seized by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
The incident remains under investigation.
