More than $1 million worth of cocaine and cash found during traffic stop, SC cops say
Two men were arrested following a recent traffic stop where more than $1 million worth of drugs and cash were found hidden inside a vehicle, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said.
Both Keisy Estibet Peguero, a 35-year-old Miami resident, and Jose Argenis Hernandez-Severino, a 28-year-old New York City resident, were charged with cocaine trafficking, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday in a news release.
At about midnight on June 30, deputies pulled over a Jeep for speeding near the 163 mile marker on Interstate 95, according to the release. Peguero was driving and Hernandez-Severino was a passenger in the Jeep that was pulled over about 8 miles from Buc-ee’s, the sheriff’s office said.
Following “an encounter” with Peguero, deputies believed there was reasonable suspicion of a crime and got consent to search the Jeep, according to the release. Information about the encounter that provoked the search was not available.
Deputies found an electronically operated hidden compartment, also known as a “trap,” which the sheriff’s office said is often used to transport illegal drugs. That was the case in this instance, as deputies found six kilograms of cocaine after gaining access inside the trap, according to the release.
That amount of cocaine can be worth up to $900,000, according to estimates from the Guardian Recovery Network.
Along with the drugs, $191,878 in cash was also discovered hidden in the Jeep’s trap, the sheriff’ office said.
While both Peguero and Hernandez-Severino were booked at the Florence County Detention Center, the sheriff’s office said both men were released from the jail on July 2 after each posted $100,000 surety bonds.
If convicted on the trafficking charges, Peguero and Hernandez-Severino each face a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison and a $200,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
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This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 1:13 PM with the headline "More than $1 million worth of cocaine and cash found during traffic stop, SC cops say."
