The Iron County Sheriff's Office is announcing a massive drug bust resulting from an early morning traffic stop, that seized 24 pounds of cocaine. Jesus Ochoa-Pérez, 34, was arrested early Tuesday morning and now faces several charges, among them possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, possession of cocaine, a third-degree felony, and possession of paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor. Ochoa-Pérez was allegedly in possession of 24 pounds of cocaine when he was pulled over on a traffic violation around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. The drugs are estimated to be worth $250,000 on the street, and are believed to have been being funneled through the I-15 "pipeline" from Mexico to Illinois.
Officials with the Iron County Sheriff's Office say that given how the drugs were allegedly transported across state lines, the case is likely to end up being handled by the Drug Enforcement Agency. While cocaine has seen a drop in use over recent years, law enforcement says they have begun to see a resurgence of the substance in the last little while.
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