Cocaine worth $3 Million seized in I-80 traffic stop
71 pounds of cocaine and 5 kids found in truck loaded with onions
October 9, 2005
An alert Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper performing a routine traffic stop on Interstate 80 west of Cheyenne discovered over 71 pounds of cocaine in a commercial tractor trailer vehicle on Thursday, October 6th.
Two adults, a man and a woman from Tualatin, Oregon, were arrested and taken to jail. Five children, ranging in ages from 18 months to 14, were also traveling in the semi.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the trooper stopped the tractor trailer for a tire violation on Interstate 80 approximately 25 miles west of Cheyenne. The truck was hauling a load of onions originating in Washington headed for Atlanta, Georgia.
During the traffic stop, the trooper performed a routine check of the driver’s paperwork on his load, driver’s license, registration and log books. Irregularities during the routine check led to a search of the interior of the truck, where a bag filled with 29 kilo bricks of cocaine was discovered in the sleeper area. The weight of the illegal drug was just over 71 pounds. The illegal contraband is estimated to have a street value of around $3,222,410.
The five children traveling with the adults were transported by troopers to Cheyenne where they were placed in protective custody with the Department of Family Services.
The 2001 Freightliner tractor with its climate controlled trailer was seized. It is believed that the cocaine was destined outside the state of Wyoming and the driver was traveling through the state when he was stopped.
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