Jeffersontown police arrest nets 50 kilograms of cocaine
Jeffersontown police seized 50 kilograms of cocaine Wednesday after stopping a man who had parked his semi-truck in the At Home store parking lot near the intersection of I-64 and Blankenbaker Parkway, officials said at a press conference Thursday.
According to the court documents: Jeffersontown officers approached Eduardo Javier Tapia, 44, of Brownsville, Texas, in the At Home lot around 2:30 p.m. They had noticed the vehicle also had a cracked front windshield.
Officers Justin Probus and Paul Maskey were patrolling the lot because the owners have complained it was being used by truck drivers for overnight stays at nearby hotels. Tapia allegedly told officers he was going to stay at a hotel.
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When asked if there were any drugs in the truck, Tapia said no, according to documents. After a K9 unit called to the location gave a positive indication, officers searched the truck, discovering 50 kg of what appeared to be cocaine, Chief Richard Sanders said. Sanders said a kilo of cocaine can sell in Louisville for $25,000 to $30,000.
He said "there's a great possibility this ties into cartels in Mexico," but police are still working with federal agencies to get more information than what they have at the moment.
Tapia faces multiple charges including first-degree trafficking in controlled substances.
Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: J-town seize 50 kilos of cocaine; Texas man arrested
