Highway Patrol seizes cocaine; 2 Calif. men held

11/8/2006

Two California men were being held in the Lucas County jail each in lieu of $300,000 bond after the Ohio Highway Patrol seized three kilograms of cocaine on Monday during a traffic stop on the Ohio Turnpike in Springfield Township, authorities said.

Sergio Rodriguez-Hernandez, 25, and Jovani Rivera-Peralta, 26, both of Sun Valley, were pulled over in Mr. Rodriguez-Hernandez s 2002 Ford Explorer for speeding.

A drug-detection dog alerted a trooper to the almost 10 pounds of cocaine worth more than $300,000 in the rear passenger compartment. Also found in the vehicle were syringes, a silver spoon, and a small amount of suspected black-tar heroin, troopers said.

Both men were charged with one count each of felony drug trafficking and possession; Mr. Rivera-Peralta was charged with an additional felony count of drug possession.