April 03, 2007 Jasper County, Missouri
Missouri Trooper finds 12 pounds of heroin during a traffic stop on I-44

On April 3, 2007, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped an eastbound Ford Explorer on Interstate 44 in Jasper County for a traffic violation. The stop and subsequent investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately 12 pounds of heroin with an estimated street value of $2,600,000.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., a 1995 Ford Explorer bearing New Jersey license plates was stopped near the 25 mile-marker for following another vehicle too closely. Several inconsistencies were found during conversations with the driver and passenger (father and son) prompting the trooper to ask for consent to search the vehicle, which was granted. The search revealed approximately 12 pounds of heroin in six individually wrapped bundles concealed in a hidden compartment in the floor of the vehicle.

The driver, Jonathan Giraldo, 21, of Miramar, FL, and the passenger, Carlos E. Giraldo, 46, of Elizabeth, NJ, were arrested for first degree drug trafficking and transported to the Greene County jail in Springfield, MO, awaiting the filing of federal charges.

Source: Missouri State Highway Patrol