2 arrested after troopers find 44 pounds of cocaine during routine stop on Indiana interstate

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A routine stop of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, Indiana, Thursday turned into a major drug bust.

It happened around 4 p.m. on May 26, according to a news release from Indiana State Police. That's when a trooper stopped a tractor-trailer at mile marker 37 on I-70E for a routine compliance inspection.

As the trooper was speaking with the driver and passenger, "criminal indicators were observed." Consent was given to search the vehicle, and "approximately 44 pounds of suspected cocaine" was found.

Police arrested the driver, 38-year-old Leonardo Hernandez from Miami, Florida, and 24-year-old Rolando Bermudez Acevedo from Orlando. Both were taken to the Putnam County Jail.

The tractor-trailer was headed to Indianapolis from Phoenix, Arizona.

The estimated street value of the cocaine is $1 million, according to the news release.

Hernandez and Acevedo are both charged with dealing a narcotic drug, a level 2 felony, and possession of a narcotic drug, a level 3 felony.