Alton Assit. Chief: Cocaine bust biggest in dept. history

ALTON – Alton police made the biggest cocaine bust in the department’s modern history Thursday night, Assistant Chief Enrique Sotelo said.

Police arrested two suspects after seizing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine from a Ford pickup truck. Officers have not released the suspect’s names and were still determining charges Friday morning.

An Alton officer pulled over the truck at about 6 p.m. near the junction of Moorefield Dr. and W. Mile 5 when they couldn’t see the driver’s license plate. The officer requested a canine unit from the Mission Police Department because the driver appeared unusually nervous, Sotelo said.

The police canine then led officers to a built-in toolbox in the back of the truck, where they discovered six bundles of cocaine.

The cocaine weighed in at just over 65 pounds, or about 30 kilograms, Sotelo said.

“We’ve never kept a record, but we’ve never gotten a load like that,” he said. “This is setting the bar way high for the rest of our officers and our agency. We usually don’t see busts like this.”

Once the toolbox was open revealing the cocaine, the driver took responsibility and asked that his wife—who was riding in the passenger seat—not be charged, Sotelo said.

The driver will likely face drug possession charges with intent to distribute. Officers are still determining the distance of the bust to a nearby school zone, which could add to the charges.