General Headquarters — Columbus, Ohio

For Immediate Release: November
26, 2003
Contact: Lt. Tony Bradshaw (614) 752-2792
TOLEDO
– An Indiana woman and an Illinois man will appear in the Maumee Municipal
Court today after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized 36 kilos of
cocaine on Interstate 80 in Lucas County.
Luzmaria Cardenas, 54, of Lake Station, Ind., and Manuel C. Razo, 58,
of Oak Lawn, Ill., were each charged with possession of cocaine and trafficking
of cocaine, both first-degree felonies, and possession of criminal tools,
a fifth-degree felony.
Troopers stopped a 1999 Ford Explorer, driven by Razo, for a marked lane
violation on eastbound Interstate 80, milepost 57, in Lucas County at
10:03 a.m. yesterday. A Patrol drug-detecting canine alerted to the Explorer
and a probable cause search revealed 36 kilos of cocaine in the cargo
area of the vehicle. The cocaine has an estimated street value of approximately
$3.6 million.
Cardenas and Razo were incarcerated at the Lucas County Justice Center. If convicted, each could face up to 21 years in prison and up to a $42,500 fine.
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03-266
www.statepatrol.ohio.gov
A division of the Ohio Department
of Public Safety