General Headquarters — Columbus, Ohio

 

For Immediate Release: August 13, 2003
Contact: Lt. Tony Bradshaw (614) 752-2792

 

Patrol seizes 18 kilos of cocaine worth $1.8 million

FINDLAY – A Bellevue, Wash. man is scheduled to appear today in the Findlay Municipal Court after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized $1.8 million worth of cocaine early this morning on Interstate 75 in Hancock County.

Daniel Ortiz, 23, was charged with possession of cocaine, a first-degree felony, and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

Troopers stopped a 1994 Chevy Blazer driven by Ortiz, for a marked lanes violation on southbound Interstate 75, milepost 157, in Hancock County at 1:19 a.m. this morning. A Findlay Police Department drug-detecting canine alerted to the Blazer, and a probable cause search revealed 18 kilos of cocaine in the vehicle. The cocaine has an estimated street value of approximately $1.8 million.

Ortiz was incarcerated at the Hancock County Jail. If convicted, he could face up to 11 years in prison, and up to a $22,500 fine.

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03-178

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