Two men illegally in the U.S. from Mexico are in Montgomery County Jail after the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force found two kilograms of cocaine in their vehicle.
The arrests happened Wednesday on Interstate 75 near the Stanley Avenue exit, according to a release from Captain Mike Brem.
Adrian S. Saenz, 39, and Eduardo Simental, 41, were both arrested by task force members after a traffic stop.
The task force, with assistance from the State Highway Patrol, had learned the vehicle was transporting two kilograms of cocaine in an illegal compartment inside the vehicle, according to Brem.
The driver, Adrian Saenz, and the passenger, Eduardo Valdez Simental, were in a vehicle that was registered in Kansas City, Missouri. Both were arrested on drug charges after investigators found them in possession of a large amount of cocaine with an estimated street value of $200,000.
Both suspects, who are illegally present in the United States, are being held in the Montgomery County Jail on drug trafficking, possession of drugs and immigration charges.
“This is another example of the ongoing battle against drug cartels bringing in illegal drugs into our communities. We recognize collaboration through federal, state and local partnerships are necessary to have a significant impact on the criminal organizations in Montgomery County and the Miami Valley,” said Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer.
The Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force is part of the Ohio Attorney General’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. It is made up of officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Miami Twp. Police Department, Butler Twp. Police Department, Montgomery County RANGE Task Force, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.