770-Pound Cocaine Seizure Near Yuma
- Share via
A routine arrest for drunk driving turned into one of the biggest drug busts in Imperial County history early Monday morning when a California Highway Patrol officer discovered 770 pounds of cocaine--worth an estimated $30 million on the street--concealed inside a pickup truck, CHP Lt. Doug McMurray said.
CHP Officer Steve Roberson stopped Jose Vargas Perez, 26, about 7:40 a.m. for weaving in and out of lanes on westbound Interstate 8 near Brock Research Center Road, 20 miles west of Yuma.
An open beer bottle was found in the cab of the truck and Perez was arrested, McMurray said.
A closer examination of the pickup revealed “yellow plastic protruding from underneath the bed of the truck, and there was a large piece of sheet metal down the center” of the bed, he said. The CHP found hidden compartments, which contained 320 bundles of cocaine weighing a kilogram each. Additionally, a duffel bag on the front floorboard was found to contain 30 kilos of cocaine.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
