Man cited after deputies find cocaine hidden in cheeseburger during traffic stop on I-57
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) - A man was cited after deputies found cocaine hidden in a cheeseburger and behind the glove compartment of a car during a traffic stop.
Jesus A. Garza Trevino was cited for possession of a controlled substance, controlled substance trafficking and delivery of a controlled substance. He was taken to the Williamson County Jail.
According to a release from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were working traffic control for the Interstate 57/Grassy Road overpass closure on Sunday, November 5.
Just before 7 p.m., they were doing a routine patrol of the Road Ranger Travel Center near I-57 and Illinois State Route 148, which is where I-57 traffic was being diverted due to the temporary road closure.
When they entered the parking lot, deputies saw a man standing near the rear quarter panel of a vehicle parked at the fuel pumps. The vehicle had a Texas registration plate. When the man noticed the deputies, they say he tried to hide by ducking his head and turning his body away.
Deputing pulled into a parking space near the entrance of the store and continued to watch the man. They say he appeared nervous and concerned with their presence.
Another man left the store and talked with the man deputies were watching, who then got into the passenger side of the vehicle while the other man got into the driver’s seat.
According to the sheriff’s office, the vehicle then pulled into a parking stall directly in front of their vehicle. The passenger got out and checked the turn signals, brake lights and the rear registration plate light.
Shortly after that, they say the vehicle traveled across the parking lot and went westbound onto Illinois State Route 148.
After going about 1,000 feet northbound on Grange Hall Road, deputies saw a vehicle make a u-turn in the middle of the road on a curve, which required it to come to a stop in the road. Deputies identified the vehicle as the one they were watching at Road Ranger.
Deputies say the vehicle came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. They turned on their emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.
While talking with the people inside the vehicle, deputies identified the front seat passenger as Jesus Garza Trevino.
They say he told them he was coming from Laredo, Texas and was on his way to Ligonier, Indiana, but he was unable to give them a destination address. Trevino told them he did not have an address and that he would be contacted by someone on where to meet them when he was close to Ligonier.
During the traffic stop, a K-9 conducted a “free air sniff” of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert to the smell of narcotics.
While searching the vehicle, deputies found an object behind the glove compartment. They say the object was in a brown glove and hidden in the natural space behind the compartment.
The object was tightly wrapped in electrical tape. When deputies cut the tape, they say they saw a white, powdery substance inside that field tested positive for cocaine.
Deputies also found a Wendy’s restaurant bag which contained a cheeseburger. When they opened the cheeseburger, deputies found another object wrapped in black electrical tape. It also field tested positive for cocaine.
According to the sheriff’s office, the cocaine weighed about 2 ounces. It was seized and entered into evidence.
Deputies say Trevino told them the cocaine was his, and that he bought it in Laredo, Texas and that he distributes cocaine.
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