Sheriff's Deputies Find $2.5 Million Worth Of Cocaine

Sheriff's Deputies Find $2.5 Million Worth Of Cocaine

Second Largest Drug Bust in Nebraska History

OMAHA (KPTM) - A traffic stop along Interstate 80 yields two and a half million dollars worth of cocaine.  Investigators say it's the second biggest cocaine bust the state of Nebraska has ever seen.

A massive pile of cocaine hauled in Monday by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.  "It's the biggest one we've ever had and it's one of the biggest in this area," said Sgt. Ed Van Buren.

One hundred packages, each weighing more than two pounds, were discovered after deputies spotted a mobile home driving on the shoulder of Interstate 80 near 96th Street.  "They were very nice, very cooperative, came across as a nice family," Van Buren said.

Investigators got suspicious when the family, 54-year-old Jose Melendez, 48-year-old Virginia Melendez and 21-year-old Virginia Melendez-Ramirez, started giving different details about who they were and where they were headed.

The family then allowed deputies to search their vehicle.  "Ultimately we discovered it by removing the trim around the bed and then removing the carpet," Van Buren said.

The coke, all two and a half million dollars worth, was hidden in a secret compartment built into the floor.

Van Buren says it seemed like the suspects had done this before.  "You don't know for sure, but as calm as they were acting, as professional and cooperative as they were, I certainly couldn't have acted that way if I were transporting 100 kilos of cocaine," he said.

It won't be the last major drug bust along the interstate.  "It's one of the main thoroughfares of not only legitimate people but drug smugglers and other people involved in criminal activity," Van Buren said.

The suspects told deputies they were traveling from California to Kansas City.  Now all three are behind bars, booked for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.