Over $100,000 worth of cocaine seized by Teton County Sheriff’s Office after traffic stop
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VICTOR — A traffic stop led to Teton County Sheriff’s deputies finding over $100,000 worth of cocaine and the subsequent arrest of two individuals.
According to court documents, on Nov. 10, a traffic stop was initiated on a black SUV traveling too closely to another vehicle near Settlement Drive and Idaho Highway 31 in Teton County.
The vehicle was a rental, and the driver, identified as Alejandro Rene Morales of Victor, told the deputy he did not have a driver’s license.
Morales was asked to step out and speak with the deputy near his patrol car.
The deputy asked Morales why he was driving without a license, and he was told that his friend had diabetes and that they had come from Salt Lake City. When asked why they were in Salt Lake City, Morales said that he was working in food service but wasn’t making much money.
He asked his friend, Ignacio Contreras Chavez of Jackson, Wyoming, to pick him up.
Teton County Sheriff Clint Lemieux spoke with Chaves, who told him that they had gone to Las Vegas to see his girlfriend.
When asked for his girlfriend’s name, Lemieux reported that Chavez hesitated and then gave him a name.
The deputy asked for Morales’ consent to search the vehicle and any bags, and the man agreed. Chavez also offered to have the vehicle searched.
The document states that Lemieux lifted the rear flap inside the trunk and found a pink Victoria’s Secret Bag inside.
In the pink bag was a rectangular object wrapped in tape, labeled “Monastery,” and an insignia.
Upon opening the package, a white, powdery substance was found. The weight of the package was 1,132 grams, and it returned positive for cocaine.
According to a Facebook post from the Teton County Sheriff’s Foundation, the amount seized equaled 20,000 doses and was valued at over $100,000.
Both men were charged with one felony count of trafficking cocaine, which carries a potential punishment of 10 years to life.
Morales and Chaves are scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Jason Walker for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 19.
Though Morales and Chaves have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.