Troopers discovered nearly two pounds of cocaine after a traffic check on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said on Thursday.
The district attorney’s office stated that on Tuesday, a state police trooper and his K-9 were sitting on Interstate 76 in Donegal Township when a vehicle with a New York registration and “excessive tint” on its windows passed by.
As the trooper pulled out to conduct a traffic stop, the DA’s office stated that he spotted the car changing lanes and following another vehicle at a hazardous distance.
The trooper put on his emergency lights and sirens and pulled over the vehicle, identifying the driver as Ratique Wilson, 35, based on his West Virginia license.
After Wilson refused police permission to examine his vehicle, the district attorney’s office stated that a drug-detecting K-9 was deployed and alerted troopers to the potential presence of drugs.
Authorities conducted a search warrant, and troopers discovered a kilogram of cocaine inside, according to the district attorney’s office.
Wilson was sent to the Westmoreland County Prison for failure to post bail. Prosecutors said he faces many drug-related offenses as well as traffic crimes.
It’s the latest narcotics bust along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County.
Last month, authorities discovered over 40,000 baggies of suspected fentanyl near I-76 in Hempfield Township, with an estimated street value of $80,000.
Officers reported in August that they found 8 kilos (nearly 17 pounds) of cocaine during a car search. A few weeks prior, cops reported finding 37 pounds of cocaine in another automobile.
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