What started as a routine traffic stop on Wednesday turned into one of Mississippi’s largest drug busts this year.
Texas man detained in Mississippi
Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley said deputies seized around 19 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $1 million on the street after stopping a semi-truck on Interstate 10.
The driver, 38-year-old Jesus Roberto Carrizales of Texas, is now facing felony charges for aggravated trafficking of narcotic substances.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, criminal interdiction deputies called down the Freightliner semi for traffic offenses near the 35-mile marker in Gulfport. While conversing with Carrizales and searching the truck, deputies discovered two firearms inside.
However, the “abnormalities” that deputies spotted on the vehicle prompted them to investigate more. A comprehensive search eventually found the large quantity of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment.
Investigators believe the sheer size of the material indicates a large distribution operation. If the 19 kilograms had been broken down and sold individually, the overall value would have easily exceeded one million dollars.
“This was a significant amount of illegal drugs taken off our streets,” the Sheriff’s Office stated, thanking the Harrison County Narcotics Task Force and the DEA for their assistance with the investigation.
Carrizales was charged with aggravated trafficking of a prohibited drug. He is being jailed in the Harrison County, Mississippi, County Jail on a $1 million bond.
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