Florida woman pulled over in SC for speeding, then deputies found a secret compartment
A Florida woman went from a traffic stop to a drug trafficking charge when nearly half-a-million dollars worth of cocaine was found hidden inside the vehicle she was driving, according to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.
Orlando, Florida, resident Carmen Denisse Garcia Roman was charged with cocaine trafficking, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
On July 3, deputies pulled over a speeding vehicle driving north on Interstate 95 at the 163 mile marker, according to the release. Information about the speed the vehicle was traveling on I-95 when spotted by deputies was not available.
During the traffic stop, deputies “developed reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was afoot and conducted a consent search of the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said they found an aftermarket compartment in the vehicle, also known as a “trap,” which the sheriff’s office previously said can be used to transport illegal drugs. That was the case in this instance, as deputies found three kilograms of cocaine (approximately 6.6 pounds) hidden inside the compartment, according to the release.
That amount of cocaine can be worth up to $450,000, according to estimates from the Guardian Recovery Network — an organization that treats alcohol and drug addiction.
Roman was booked at the Florence County Detention Center, the sheriff’s office said. No bond was set and the 34-year-old Florida resident remains behind bars in South Carolina, jail records show.
If convicted on the felony drug trafficking charge, Roman faces a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison and a $200,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
