MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop D Service Center - 4282 South Grand Avenue - Carthage MO 64836


News Release

For further information please contact: Sergeant Mike Watson
(417) 359-1500 ext. 2229
DS2009-28
December 7, 2009

EMPHASIS: Cocaine Seizure At Newton County Weigh Station


On December 7, 2009, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a Missouri State Highway Patrol commercial vehicle officer stopped the driver of an eastbound 2001 Peterbilt tractor-trailer unit for a routine inspection at the weigh station on Interstate 44 in Newton County. Inconsistencies identified during a conversation with the driver prompted a trooper at the weigh station to ask for consent to search the vehicle, which was granted. Located in the sleeper area were 20 kilogram-sized bundles of cocaine.

The driver, Vicente Hernandez, 35, Buckeye, Arizona, was arrested for first-degree drug trafficking and transported to the Newton County Jail, Neosho, Missouri.

The charge for which Vicente Hernandez was arrested is mere accusation and not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty it is to determine guilt or innocence.




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