OSHP seizes $600K worth of cocaine in Lucas County

December 23, 2011 at 1:30p.m.

TOLEDO, Ohio — A California man faces federal prosecution after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized six kilos of cocaine valued at $600,000 after a traffic stop Thursday in Lucas County.

According to a patrol news release today, troopers stopped a rented 2011 Ford Edge SUV for a speed violation, eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike, about 11:24 a.m. Criminal indicators were observed and a patrol drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable-cause search revealed the six kilos of cocaine in a natural cavity in the rear of the vehicle.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration took over the case and the suspect, James Rhee, 36, of Los Angeles, was charged federally with possession with intent to distribute. He was placed in the Lucas County Jail.