Man Stopped at Mexico Border With $12.5 Million Worth of Cocaine

A driver was stopped at the border in Arizona and charged for intending to sell cocaine in the U.S. after officers found $12.5 million worth of the drug in his semi-truck.

Oswaldo Lopez-Escobar was trying to enter the US from Mexico at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales on October 4 when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found 155 packages of cocaine concealed in the floor of the trailer, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona.

CBP officers estimated the total value of the packages, which weighed approximately 587 kilograms, to range between $10.7 and $12.5 million. 

Lopez-Escobar was charged for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, a fine of $10 million, or both, and a term of supervised release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that an estimated 111,355 Americans died from an overdose between May 2022 and April 2023 — a record over a 12-month period.