Authorities are now releasing details of a sizeable drug bust in Poweshiek County on Tuesday morning. Iowa State Trooper Eric VanderWiel executed a traffic stop on Interstate-80 six miles east of Grinnell. The initial stop was for improper use of lanes.
While conducting the traffic stop, Trooper VanderWiel observed numerous indicators of ongoing criminal activity. He then requested consent to search the vehicle. Written consent was granted and during the search a large quantity of cocaine and heroin was seized.
According to the Poweshiek County jail booking log, two-and-a-half pounds of heroin and 12 kilos of cocaine were seized. Raul Gallo of Lemon Grove, California, and Francisco Javier Pineda-Luna of Burlington, North Carolina, were arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver and violation of the drug tax stamp law.
The street value of the drugs seized is estimated at more than $500,000.
By Chris Johnson, KGRN, Grinnell