FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2000
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755
HIGHWAY PATROL SEIZES ALMOST 1,000 POUNDS OF COCAINE ON I-85 IN GREENVILLE COUNTY
COLUMBIA - Gov. Jim Hodges and South Carolina Department of Public Safety Director Boykin Rose today announced details of one of the largest drug seizures in state history made yesterday on I-85 in Greenville County. About 409 kilograms, almost 1,000 pounds of cocaine with a street value of more than $44, 990, 000, was seized after the Highway Patrol stopped a tractor-trailer rig for a traffic violation.
"I hope this drug seizure sends a clear message to anyone who may think of using our highways to transport illegal drugs and weapons," said Gov. Jim Hodges. "We are serious about cleaning up our highways and making them safe again for our visitors and citizens alike."
Around 4:35 p.m. on April 27, a 1997 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Freddie Ramirez, Houston, Texas, was stopped in the northbound lanes of I-85, near the 46 mile marker. Troopers from the Highway Patrol ACE team, which focuses on drug interdiction, pulled the truck over for an improper lane change. After talking with the driver and the passenger, Juan Antonio Aguilar, also of Houston, Texas, and checking the log books, the officers called in the K-9 unit and searched the truck. They found the cocaine in a wooden crate in the center of the flatbed, strapped down with a tarp.
The truck has been seized by the Highway Patrol. The men are being held in the Spartanburg County jail. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency is working in conjunction with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and will charge both men with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine.
This is the second largest drug seizure in the nation this year, according to the DEA. It is the 65th largest seizure of cocaine in the nation since 1987.
"Since November of last year, the Department of Public Safety has increased the number of troopers and unmarked vehicles patrolling I-85 in the Upstate," Rose said. "In the coming weeks, the Highway Patrol and State Transport Police will increase our presence even more through a special enforcement initiative called Operation STOP - aimed at saving lives and reducing collisions on I-85."
From last October until April, the Highway Patrol has issued the following citations: 78 driving under the influence, 129 driving under suspension, 1,132 driver’s license or vehicle violations, 11,248 speeding citations, 1,203 seat belt and child restraint citations on I-85.