Ohio Highway Patrol Finds $6.3 Million in Cocaine During Inspection of Commercial Semi-Truck
Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) made an unexpected find recently during a roadside commercial vehicle inspection. Shortly before 2 p.m. on Jan. 23, a semi-truck with Arizona plates was on I-70 near London, Ohio, when troopers stopped it.
Prior to and during the inspection, troopers noticed “criminal indicators” that led them to bring in a Patrol drug-sniffing canine team, according to an OSHP statement. The drug-sniffing dog then alerted the troopers to conduct a further inspection.
While conducting a probable cause search of the semi-truck, troopers discovered 154 pounds of cocaine concealed within cabinets inside the semi-trailer. The illegal narcotics were valued at approximately $6.3 million.
Troopers then took the driver of the truck, a 46-year-old male from Ecatepec, Mexico, into custody. Authorities charged him with possession of drugs, a first-degree felony, and booked him into the Tri-County Regional Jail. OSHP did not state the drugs’ destination, nor who was ultimately responsible for placing them on the semi-truck.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers have made numerous drug busts over the past 12 months
The Ohio State Highway Patrol added in their statement that they seized 1,607 pounds of cocaine on Ohio’s roadways in 2025. One such seizure occurred on U.S. Route 35 on December 3 when troopers seized 17 packages with 46 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $546,000. Troopers pulled over the vehicle after they noticed it was traveling above the posted speed limit.
More recently, authorities arrested a Richmond Heights man on Jan. 21. In that case, troopers reported finding about 3,000 grams of cocaine worth about $81,000 during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Mahoning County. OSHP troopers had pulled over the driver of the 2014 Cadillac SRX with Pennsylvania plates for a vehicle defect violation when they discovered the drugs.
