Louisiana State Police Stop Big Rig with Lots of Drugs Inside

A routine traffic stop on I-10 in the Lake Charles area led to officials with Louisiana State Police confiscating half a million dollars worth of drugs.

Louisiana State Police Public Affairs official Derek Senegal says a trooper working enforcement with the commercial motor vehicle department conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 10 west of Louisiana Highway 397.

The vehicle had been traveling eastbound on Interstate 10.

The trooper stopped the Peterbilt 18-wheeler and while checking things out began saying there were signs of criminal behavior. A K-9 officer on the scene positively altered the 18-wheeler according to officials.

The driver of the 18-wheeler, when asked for permission to search the vehicle, denied the request.

Troopers further inspected the big rig to find that there was around $500,000 worth of cocaine inside the cab of the vehicle. The search began at around 11 o'clock Thursday morning.

Trooper Senegal says troopers arrested 27-year-old Oscar Jasso of Mission, Texas.

The man was arrested and charged with the following:

Possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance Schedule II. He was then booked into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center.

Officials with Louisiana State Police want the public to know they are proactively working on enforcement along with other agencies in relation to these issues. The public has a role to play as well.

If you have any information to help officials combat illegal narcotics trafficking. Any kind of illegal or suspicious activity can be reported anonymously to the Louisiana State Police by visiting http://la-safe.org/. When you get onto the site, look for the "Suspicious Activity" link to submit your information.