Officials intercepted millions of dollars worth of cocaine traveling to South Florida from Mexico during a traffic stop on Florida’s Turnpike, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
According to officials, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) West Palm Beach office alerted Florida Highway Patrol “to intelligence regarding a semi-truck suspected of transporting narcotics from the Mexican-Texas border into South Florida.”
On Oct. 5, DEA and FHP officers stopped a vehicle going southbound on the Turnpike.
“During the inspection, troopers discovered a concealed trap door containing multiple duffle bags filled with cocaine,” a news release reads.
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Officials announce the drug trafficking bust.
The suspects were reportedly detained and taken into federal custody for further investigation and prosecution. Officials said one of them was previously deported from the United States.
Their names were not immediately released.
The vehicle was carrying around 173 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $14.7 million, authorities said.
Officials credited Florida’s commitment to stopping the flow of drugs and the state’s alignment with federal priorities in the news release.
“With the southern border shut down, transnational narco cartels can no longer simply walk across the border with guns, drugs, and human couriers,” Executive Director Director Dave Kerner says in the release. “This forces cartels to attempt to move large amounts of narcotics in a way that allows the full weight of law enforcement efforts to not just interdict, but to investigate the supply chain back to their point of origin. Ultimately, a secure border allows us to target the ultimate source of evil; the criminal cartels and the resources they rely upon.”
Additionally, authorities said that since 2019, FHP has recovered over 14,000 kilograms of illegal narcotics, including 925 kilograms of cocaine, 23.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 14 kilograms of heroin, 9,600 kilograms of marijuana, and 19 kilograms of MDMA.
“Our message to drug traffickers is clear: do not bring your poison into our state. We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will always stand on the front lines to protect Floridians from those who threaten our safety and our future,” Lt. Gov. Jay Collins says in the release.