March 17, 2005  Grand Island, Nebraska
State Trooper finds 18 bundles of cocaine weighing 45 pounds in the vehicle's gas tank

A routine traffic stop on eastbound I-80 near Grand Island, leads to the discovery of 45 pounds of cocaine. A maroon 1998 Lincoln Navigator with Colorado plates was stopped around 2:30 p.m., Thursday, March 17, 2005 for driving on the shoulder of the road and following too closely.

The driver gave the trooper consent to search the vehicle. An NSP K-9 aiding in the search indicated the presence of drugs. Some 45 pounds of cocaine packaged in 18 heat wrapped cellophane packages were located in the vehicle's gas tank.

Lodged in the Hall County Corrections Department on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver was the vehicle's driver 26-year-old Ricardo Perales of Chino, California, passengers, 21-year-old Silvino Michel, Chino, California and 21-year-old Jessica Servin, Chino, California.

The 45 pounds of cocaine has a street value estimated at $1,000,000. The drugs were believed to be headed from the West Coast to Chicago.

Source: Nebraska State Patrol