39 pounds of cocaine seized in I-80 stop

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

A routine traffic stop near the North 27th Street interchange on Interstate 80 just outside Lincoln led to the seizure of 39.2 pounds of cocaine, the Nebraska State Patrol said Tuesday morning.

The patrol arrested a man and woman from Arizona for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver on Monday.

At 12:20 p.m. Monday,  a state trooper with Headquarters Troop-Lincoln stopped an eastbound 2000 Ford Windstar minivan for driving without license plates. During the stop, the trooper was given consent to search the van.

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A routine traffic stop near the North 27th Street interchange on Interstate 80 just outside Lincoln led to the seizure of 39.2 pounds of cocaine, the Nebraska State Patrol said Tuesday morning. (Courtesy photo)

A routine traffic stop near the North 27th Street interchange on Interstate 80 just outside Lincoln led to the seizure of 39.2 pounds of cocaine, the Nebraska State Patrol said Tuesday morning. (Courtesy photo)

The trooper found 15 plastic-wrapped package containing what authorities believe to be 39.2 pounds of cocaine in a false compartment in the van. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $750,000 to $1 million.

Marco Mendez, 27, of Phoenix, was driving the van. Yesenia Sanchez, 25, also of Phoenix, was a passenger. Both were booked into the Lancaster County Jail on a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.  

A 14-year-old girl and a 10-month-old boy traveling with the pair were placed in Health and Human Services custody.