HAYWOOD COUNTY, Tenn. – A late night traffic stop on I-40 in Haywood County Monday night led to a record breaking seizure of over 200 pounds of cocaine, the West Tennessee Violent Crime & Drug Task Force said (DTF).
Agents with the Criminal Interdiction Unit of the DTF assigned to patrol I-40 in both Shelby and Haywood Counties stopped a commercial vehicle for a traffic violation Monday night, the department said. During the traffic investigation, DTF said, the agents saw abnormalities in the tractor trailer and had a police dog sniff out the narcotics in the trailer.
A four-hour search ensued, DTF said, during which agents discovered two aftermarket components near the trailer’s refrigeration unit. DTF said the agents forced open the compartments and found 90 wrapped kilos of cocaine, weighing roughly 200 pounds. The department said the drugs were valued at roughly $2.25 million wholesale, with an estimated street value of nearly $9 million…