Troopers seize gun, drugs in I-80 stops
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By the Lincoln Journal Star
Four traffic stops along Interstate 80 this week turned up drugs and a stolen gun and led to the arrest of six people, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
The latest came at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday near Kearney.
A trooper stopped a an eastbound 2008 Chevy Impala with California plates for speeding near the Minden exit, said State Patrol Spokesman Deb Collins.
She said the trooper was allowed to search the car and found 47.5 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $500,000, in luggage in the trunk.
Dominick Digiorgio, 38, and his passenger C.G. Digiorgio, 35, both of Long Beach, N.Y., were lodged in the Buffalo County Jail on suspicion of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.
At about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2008 Cadillac Escalade with Utah plates near the Utica interchange in Seward County.
The SUV had a headlight out, Collins said. She said a patrol dog indicated the presence of drugs in the SUV, and a search led to the seizure of 52 pounds of what authorities believe is marijuana in 47 vacuum-sealed bags, plus two grams of hashish.
Andrea Maldonado, 22, of Kirkwood, Mo., was arrested and taken to the Seward County Jail on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
On Tuesday at about 10 a.m. a trooper stopped an eastbound 2008 Dodge Avenger with Arizona plates near the Platte River Bridge in Sarpy County for following too closely.
Collins said a search of the car led to the seizure of 25 pounds of what is believed to be marijuana and a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the trunk.
She said a records check of the gun revealed the gun was stolen in Phoenix, Ariz.
Troopers arrested Jesse Mix, a 24-year-old of Glendale, Ariz., on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and felon in possession of a stolen firearm. He was lodged in the Sarpy County Jail.
On Sunday, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2002 Toyota Camry with Iowa plates for speeding just west of North Platte.
Collins said the trooper saw marijuana residue and smelled marijuana coming from the car.
A search led to the discovery of a cardboard box in the trunk containing 18 vacuum-sealed bags holding 19 pounds of what authorities believe to be marijuana, she said.
Paul Hugo and passenger Maxwell Swanson, both 22 of Sioux City, Iowa, were lodged in the Lincoln County Jail on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
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