Texas man arrested in Mississippi after sheriff finds 19 kilos of cocaine during traffic stop
38-year-old Jesus Roberto Carrizales of Texas (Source: Harrison County Sheriff's Office)
HARRISON COUNTY, Mississippi - What started as a routine traffic stop on Wednesday ended with one of the largest drug busts one Mississippi county has seen this year.
Texas man arrested in Mississippi
Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley said deputies seized roughly 19 kilograms of cocaine that is worth more than $1 million on the street after pulling over a semi-truck on Interstate 10.
The driver, 38-year-old Jesus Roberto Carrizales of Texas, now faces felony charges for aggravated trafficking of a controlled substance.
The backstory:
According to the Sheriff’s Office, criminal interdiction deputies flagged the Freightliner semi for traffic violations near the 35-mile marker in Gulfport. While speaking with Carrizales and inspecting the truck, deputies found two handguns inside the cab.
However, it was the "abnormalities" deputies noticed on the vehicle itself that led them to dig deeper. A thorough search eventually revealed the massive stash of cocaine hidden away in a concealed compartment.
What they're saying:
Investigators say the sheer volume of the haul suggests a major distribution operation. If the 19 kilograms had been broken down and sold individually, the total value would have easily cleared the million-dollar mark.
"This was a significant amount of illegal drugs taken off our streets," the Sheriff’s Office noted, crediting the Harrison County Narcotics Task Force and the DEA for their help in the investigation.
Carrizales has been charged with aggravated trafficking of a controlled substance. He is being held at the Harrison County Mississippi County Jail on a $1 million bond.