During a traffic stop in Florida, a man from Texas who was on federal supervised release has been charged with additional charges for possessing a considerable amount of cocaine.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Hector Villarreal, a 36-year-old resident of Pasadena, Texas, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for possession with the intention to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
On June 27th, Villarreal was pulled over by deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for a traffic violation on Interstate 75 near Lake City. As the deputies noticed peculiar behavior during the stop, they requested a canine search of the vehicle.
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The dog detected the presence of drugs, which led to the uncovering of cardboard boxes that were sealed and contained a whopping 30 kilograms or approximately 66 pounds of cocaine.
Federal authorities were already keeping a close eye on Villarreal after he was previously convicted. The recent indictment also states that the government plans to seize any assets that Villarreal may have utilized in relation to the alleged offense.
The DEA, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office are spearheading the investigation, while Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva will handle the prosecution.
