Investigation continues on drug seizure
Law enforcement officials keep quiet on name of truck driver for his safety
An unusual seizure of more than 44 pounds of cocaine Tuesday night sparked lots of questions—but few of them are likely to be answered any time soon, officials said Thursday.
“The arrest took place and the (20 kilograms of cocaine) were seized,” said Sgt. Saul Gomez of the California Highway Patrol’s Southern Division, during his explanation of Thursday’s operation and the unusual steps that were taken afterward as a precautionary measure.
Once an arrest is made, the suspect’s name is generally released as part of the public arrest record, which officials acknowledged in an interview Thursday.
“For the protection of the driver involved, we are withholding his name for the time being,” he said, “(as well as) details regarding the investigation—that is still ongoing.”
Gomez could not release any additional information other than confirming the drugs were believed to be headed to Northern California.
A DEA official said earlier this week that they tend to see drugs heading in a northerly direction and cash coming back on the other side of Interstate 5. The operation did not appear to have any federal involvement, according to DEA and FBI officials who were contacted Wednesday by The Signal.
However, those officials also cautioned that if there was involvement by another agency, it’s very possible that information would also not be released pending the outcome of the investigation.
“The driver is being questioned regarding his knowledge of the cargo,” Gomez said, adding that he couldn’t comment on whether there was involvement suspected from an organized crime syndicate, i.e. a street gang or a larger cartel.
“At this time, we cannot confirm any involvement by any street gang or any cartel,” Gomez said, adding, “however, we do know that the production of 20 kilograms of cocaine is not easy, and thus you can fill in the blanks with other people’s involvement.”
Gomez said CHP officers are still investigating, but any charges filed with prosecutors would take place at the end of their investigation.
The driver is being questioned regarding his knowledge of the cargo.”
Sgt. Saul Gomez, California Highway Patrol,
Southern Division