FINDLAY – An Aurora, Ill. man was arrested this afternoon after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized eight and one-half kilos of cocaine worth $850,000 on Interstate 80 in Lucas County.

Rene A. Solis, 35, was charged with possession of cocaine and trafficking cocaine, both first-degree felonies, and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

Troopers stopped a 1999 Pontiac Montana minivan driven by Solis, for a following too close violation on eastbound Interstate 80, milepost 55, in Lucas County at 10:34 a.m. this morning. A Patrol drug-detecting canine alerted to the Montana, and a probable cause search revealed eight and one-half kilos of cocaine in the dashboard of the vehicle. The cocaine has an estimated street value of approximately $850,000.

Solis was incarcerated at the Lucas County Justice Center. He is scheduled to appear in the Maumee Municipal Court. If convicted, he could face up to 21 years in prison, and up to a $42,500 fine.

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