A routine traffic stop in Whitestown, Indiana, turned into a major drug bust Monday night, with police discovering nearly $200,000 in cocaine inside a vehicle.
According to the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department, officers seized 24.5 pounds of cocaine bundled in 10 large, silver-wrapped bundles discovered in a duffel bag inside the car of 36-year-old Tionia Britany Miles.
According to Capt. John Jurkash, it is the department’s largest narcotics seizure not only this year but also in the previous three years. The stop occurred around 8:30 p.m. on southbound I-65 near the Boone County Road 550 South exit.
Officers initially stopped the vehicle after detecting a strong marijuana stench, which remains illegal in Indiana, prompting them to search it. Police K9 Jeter assisted in locating the drugs.
“This is a pretty significant one that I just hope the community sees and appreciates the hard work and dedication that our officers are putting in,” Jurkash said, noting the department’s K9 teams have made over 100 narcotics busts this year.
Miles, an Indianapolis resident, was taken into the Boone County Jail on preliminary felony accusations of cocaine distribution. Investigators are still assessing whether the medications were intended for distribution in Indianapolis.