Authorities make cocaine bust on Interstate 10
A Friday traffic stop on Interstate 10 led to the seizure of 90 grams of compressed cocaine, authorities said.
Sgt. Jeff Cole, a detective with the Combined Anti-Drug Task Force, stopped a SUV for a traffic violation at 6:30 a.m. near the Lake Charles Loop.
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kim Myers said the driver was 28-year-old Vilma I. Guardado-Rivera, of Houston, while 25-year-old Laba L. Guardado-Rivera, also of Houston, and an 18-month-old baby were passengers.
“(The two women) told Sgt. Cole they were traveling from Houston to New Orleans,” Myers said. “During the traffic stop, both women began to act suspiciously.”
Myers said Cole found the cocaine, with an estimated street value of over $9,000, wrapped in cellophane and multiple layers of plastic gloves inside a coffee canister on the backseat floorboard.
“Detectives, with assistance from Border Patrol, discovered both women were in the country illegally,” Myers said.
Laba Guardado-Rivera was arrested and charged with possession of CDS II (cocaine 28-200 grams), possession of drug paraphernalia and cruelty to a juvenile. Judge Michael Canaday set her bond at $217,500.
Vilma Guardado-Rivera was released to Border Patrol with charges pending.