3 Guatemalans arrested on I-680 with 7 cell phones, $16K

YOUNGSTOWN

Although police say three men found Tuesday in a pickup truck with more than $16,000 cash will probably not face drug charges, authorities still have a lot of questions.

The three, of Guatemalan descent, were detained at about 7:20 p.m. after a traffic stop on an Interstate 680 north entrance ramp after police were called to the 1500 block of Wakefield Drive to investigate a suspicious vehicle.

Several pills were found in the truck, and the men were booked into the Mahoning County jail on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, but police Chief Robin Lees said Wednesday that investigators were having those pills tested to see what they are.

The men will not face city charges, but they still could be detained for federal immigration authorities, Lees said. A representative of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau, known as ICE, was seen at the police department Wednesday, but a call to an ICE spokesman was not returned.

Lt. Gerard Slattery of the vice squad said he has never had any experience with anyone from Guatemala during his time as a police officer. He said investigators would like to know why they are here, why they were carrying so much cash without an explanation and why they had seven cellphones with them.

“It’s kind of sketchy right now,” Slattery said.

Read more about the case in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.