Cocaine bust on Ohio Turnpike puts California man in jail

6/12/2013
BLADE STAFF
This kilo of cocaine was seized by the Ohio Highway Patrol during a traffic stop near Bryan.
This kilo of cocaine was seized by the Ohio Highway Patrol during a traffic stop near Bryan.

BRYAN, Ohio – A California man is being held in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio after a kilo of cocaine was found in a vehicle.

Genaro Jerry Rodriguez, 41, of Cressey, Calif., is charged with possession of cocaine, trafficking in cocaine, and possession of criminal tools.

The suspect was stopped by Ohio Highway Patrol troopers on Tuesday at 1:46 p.m. on the Ohio Turnpike, near Bryan, for a “following too closely” violation. A drug-sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle and a searched turned up the cocaine in the trunk, hidden in an electronic compartment of a speaker, troopers said.

The drugs are worth an estimated $84,000, troopers said.

If the suspect is convicted, he could fave 21 years in prison and a fine of up to $42,500.