A traffic stop on Interstate 10 near Mobile last week led to the arrest of a man authorities say was smuggling cocaine hidden inside the spare tire of a minivan, according to federal and local law enforcement officials.
U.S. Border Patrol agents, working alongside Mobile County Sheriff’s Office deputies, stopped a 2020 Dodge Caravan traveling eastbound on I-10 last Thursday. Agents said the driver displayed nervous behavior and gave answers that did not add up during questioning at the scene.
A Border Patrol K9 on hand for the stop alerted to the possible presence of hidden contraband inside the vehicle, prompting a closer search. A Mobile County sheriff’s deputy assisting with the stop found four bricks of cocaine concealed inside the minivan’s spare tire.
Investigators estimated the seized drugs weighed roughly 10.47 pounds, with a street value of about $335,134.47.
The driver, identified as a 44-year-old Guatemalan national in the country on a visitor visa, was taken into custody at the scene. He now faces smuggling-related charges tied to the discovery.
Following the arrest, the driver, the cocaine and the minivan were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations’ New Orleans office, which is expected to continue the case going forward.
Concealing narcotics inside spare tires, door panels and other vehicle compartments is a smuggling method federal agents say they encounter periodically along Gulf Coast highway corridors, including stretches of I-10 that run through Mobile County. Multi-agency cooperation between Border Patrol and local sheriff’s deputies, as seen in this stop, is common practice for interdiction efforts in the area.
No further details on the driver’s route or origin were released as the investigation continues.