A green Mazda Protégé was traveling in the westbound lane of Interstate 75 at mile marker 99 around 3:30 p.m. when deputies pulled the driver over for speeding and following too closely to the vehicle in front of him, according to Collier County Sheriff’s Office reports.
The driver, Jose Carlos Ortiz, 37, appeared nervous during the traffic stop. Ortiz and his passenger, Lorenzo Abram, 26, gave deputies vague and conflicting accounts of their travels, reports said.
Deputies gave Ortiz a written warning for the traffic violations. Deputies then asked Ortiz if they could search the vehicle. Ortiz consented to the search, reports said.
Deputies located two bags in the trunk. One bag contained 503.51 grams of powder cocaine, the other contained 18.22 grams of crack cocaine.
The cocaine had an estimated street value of more than $17,000.
Ortiz and Abram, both of Deerfield Beach, were arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine 400 grams to 150 kilos.
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| Lorenzo M. Abram |
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| Jose Carlos Ortiz |
