FHP arrests two undocumented aliens on I-75, Hernando County, charged with trafficking heroin
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)
Hernando County, Florida - At 12:38 pm on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, FHP troopers on patrol in Hernando County located a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a fraudulent Arizona license plate, traveling south on Interstate 75, near the 304 Milepost,
Troopers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, which had two passengers, Maurilio Garcia Torres, a 33 year-old male, and Ivania Riestra Garcia, a 19 year-old female, who were both determined to be undocumented aliens from Mexico. The FHP press release stated that the driver of the vehicle was unlicensed, but it did not state which of the two was the driver.
FHP K-9 “Titan” alerted to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle, and the vehicle was searched. During the search, troopers located 5.5 pounds of heroin, valued in excess of $693,000.
Both occupants of the vehicle were arrested and delivered to the Hernando County Detention Center in Brooksville, FL, charged with heroin trafficking, distribution of heroin, and possession of a vehicle for use in drug trafficking. Ms. Riestra Garcia was also charged with possession of false identification, while Mr. Garcia Torres was additionally charged with use of a two-way communication device to facillitate a crime.