Safety inspection of semi yields 18 kilos of suspected cocaine

CLOVERDALE -- A Friday afternoon traffic stop by an Indiana State Police trooper turned into a criminal investigation after the discovery of 18 kilograms of alleged cocaine on a commercial motor vehicle, State Police at Putnamville reported.

The trooper stopped the semi-tractor trailer for a safety inspection about 4:30 p.m. Friday on eastbound Interstate 70 in Putnam County, near the Cloverdale exit at the 41-mile marker.

During the course of the inspection and a conversation with the driver, 50-year-old Terrell Turner of Houston, Texas, the trooper developed information consistent with the trafficking of illegal drugs.

A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of suspected cocaine which carries a reported street value in excess of $700,000.

Turner was subsequently arrested for allegedly dealing in cocaine, a Level 2 felony, and was transported to the Putnam County Jail where he is being held without eligibility to post bond.

As part of the governor's recently announced task force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment and Prevention, the State Police are providing enhanced training for troopers to look beyond the traffic ticket for indicators of criminal activity. State Police officials said that training paid off Friday with the arrest of Turner and the seizure of $700,000 worth of cocaine.