Pubdate: Sat, 06 Apr 2002
Source: Daily Home, The (AL)
Copyright: 2002 Consolidated Publishing
Contact:  http://www.dailyhome.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1632
Author: David Atchison

I-20 STOP NETS 4 KILOS OF COCAINE

The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department made one of its largest cocaine 
seizures in the department's history on Friday. "As far as I can remember, 
it's one of the largest seizures of pure cocaine we have ever made," St. 
Clair County Sheriff Terry Surles said.

A big smile crossed the sheriff's face as he looked over at the four kilos 
of cocaine sitting on the hood of a county K-9 sports utility vehicle.

"You see so many lives wasted because of this drug right here," Surles 
said, pointing to the red packages.

St. Clair County Deputy Roy Mullins, the arresting officer, filled out an 
incident report next to the neatly wrapped plastic containers filled with 
cocaine valued at more than $400,000.

On the other side of the Sheriff's Department parking lot in Pell City, 
surrounded by deputies dressed in black army fatigues, was the suspect. He 
was identified as Joel Mario Pimentel Sosa, 31, of Roswell, Ga.

Sosa sat on the tailgate of a red 1995 Dodge pickup, his head hanging down 
as deputies searched the vehicle for more drugs.

Only minutes earlier, the suspect's vehicle, with expired Florida license 
plates, was traveling east on Interstate 20 when Mullins turned on his blue 
patrol lights at mile marker 161, near the Riverside exit.

Sosa pulled off the busy interstate, a major thoroughfare between 
Birmingham and Atlanta, at around 4 p.m.

Mullins approached the vehicle.

"The suspect acted very suspicious and nervous," he said. At the time he 
did not have a K-9 drug dog.

Mullins said the suspect gave him consent to search the pickup.

"It only took about five minutes to find the cocaine," he said.

Authorities did not know Sosa's final destination, or where he was coming 
from when he was pulled over for improper lane usage and expired tags.

One thing they do know - it only took Mullins five minutes to take a lot of 
drugs off the street late Friday afternoon.

"One of my goals as sheriff is to fight the war on drugs. My men are just 
as committed as me when it comes to that," Surles said. "This is just one 
sign that we're winning the war on drugs."

The cocaine was found tucked away behind a rear side panel, Mullins said.

"One of the things I stress to my men is that when you do your stops, do 
them right. Deputy Mullins did it right," Surles said. "When you take a 
case like this to court, you want to know you'll come out of top."

Sosa was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine. If convicted he 
could be sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined up to $250,000.

This drug bust is one of a series of drug seizures in the past few weeks by 
St. Clair County law enforcement agencies patrolling I-20.

"It's a major thoroughfare for drugs; we know that," said Pell City Police 
Detective Cary Ward, who was with the group of law enforcement officers 
patrolling I-20 Friday.

Last week, the Riverside Police Department seized 213 pounds of marijuana 
with a street value estimated at $615,000. The week before, Riverside 
police netted 13 pounds of marijuana and $115,000 in cash that is believed 
to be cocaine money.

"It would probably shock us all to know what goes up and down that 
interstate," Surles said.

He said the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department and other law enforcement 
agencies along I-20 will continue their drug interdiction program and may 
even expand their effort to combat the use and sale of illegal drugs.

"I'm just glad we were able to get this much off the streets," Surles said.
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