$40 Million in Cocaine Seized From L.A. Man
A routine traffic stop along Interstate 80 in western Iowa led to the arrest of a Los Angeles man and the seizure from the car’s trunk of 189 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $40 million, authorities said Tuesday.
“This is far and away the largest cocaine seizure ever in the state of Iowa,” said Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Shepard.
Orlando Rene Monie, 33, of Los Angeles, a passenger in the car, was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Two other adults in the vehicle were not charged. Monie was being held in Polk County Jail in Des Moines pending a bond hearing Friday before U.S. Magistrate Ronald Longstaff.
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