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DANDRIDGE — Authorities seized 63 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $1.5 million in a drug bust Sunday along Interstate 40.
Jefferson County Sheriff David Davenport said officers from his department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and others converged on a tractor-trailer at the rest stop near Mile Marker 419 on Interstate 40 eastbound.
Inside, the sheriff said, deputies found 63 kilograms, or about 138.6 pounds, of cocaine.
Davenport said the two co-drivers of the tractor-trailer are in custody and will probably be charged by federal authorities. They were identified as Jose Alberto Aquirre, 40, of Bakersfield, Calif., and Mario Melgar, 46, of Mareno Valley, Calif.
At about 3:40 p.m. Sunday, Trooper Mark Self stopped the 2005 Freightliner for speeding at 85 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-40 eastbound at the rest stop, according to a press release from THP. After stopping the rig for inspection, Self asked the truck’s driver, Melgar, for his commercial license, log book and medical card and about the type of load he was hauling. Melgar indicated he was hauling produce to Bronx, N.Y. An examination of the driver’s log book revealed two shipments from California and a shipment from Yuma, Ariz., with a 14-hour layover.
Paperwork suspicious
After noticing that the driver was in violation of the 11-hour driving time and not taking required sleep, Self became suspicious and contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and K-9 Deputy Steve Arnold.
At this time, a check of the driver’s commercial driver license revealed that he had prior arrests for drug possession and had been deported to Mexico in 1998, according to THP. A short time later, Arnold’s K-9 alerted for drugs on the back of the trailer. The driver told investigators there were no drugs and consented to a search.
While questioning the driver and a male passenger, Self noticed the passenger, Aquirre, begin to act nervously. Aquirre eventually indicated there were drugs in the trailer, according to THP. Both men were placed in the patrol car while the load could be off-loaded for further search.
Cocaine discovered
While unloading the trailer in the rest area to inspect the cargo, troopers and investigators from the THP Criminal Investigation Division uncovered 63 kilos of cocaine in the fourth pallet. The drugs have an estimated street value of $1.5 million dollars.
“This is another example of a trooper looking beyond the traffic stop and citation to uncover larger criminal activity,” said THP Col. Mike Walker. “It’s also another example of local, state and federal law enforcement working together to get large quantities of illegal drugs and criminals of our highways.”
Due to the large quantity of drugs seized, both the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration were contacted. The DEA has adopted the case for charges in federal court.
Both Melgar and Aquirre were transferred from the Jefferson County Justice Center to the Blount County Jail on a federal detainer.