Nearly 300 pounds of illegal drugs were discovered inside a semi truck passing through Indiana this week, making nearby residents nervous about what the discovery could mean for their community.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that both the Indiana and Illinois state police were conducting a training at the weigh station on I-70 in Vigo County, Indiana on October 30th near the Indiana – Illinois state line when officers noticed some suspicious details regarding one tractor trailer undergoing a routine inspection – the Electronic Logging Device had been unplugged several times, meaning the driver’s log information would be inaccurate, and that the seal on the trailer differed from the one listed on the shipping papers.
An officer then conducted a thorough inspection of the big rig and discovered four bags and one box containing 220 pounds of cocaine and 65 pounds of methamphetamine – drugs with a combined street value of around $5 million.
“No, we’re not talking a little bit of contraband,” Matt Ames, Indiana State Police Master Trooper said. “When the trooper did finally locate it, he jumped out of the vehicle. You could tell that he was very excited knowing that he’s doing a good job and keeping the drugs from reaching the public,” Ames continued.
The truck driver, 22-year-old Ravninder Kaler, was promptly arrested and is currently being held in the Vigo County Jail on charges of dealing narcotics and possession of narcotics.
Though this particular shipment of drugs has been taken off the streets, residents are left wondering what other contraband could be hiding within the tractor trailers driving through their community daily.
“It’s scary and I’m glad that they caught whoever it was to keep the drugs off our streets and our communities and our kid’s hands,” said local resident Lori Frey. “It makes you wonder every time you pass a semi what’s in it and where’s it going and why is it there.”
Officers say that the drugs were coming from California and were on route to Ohio.
