Man arrested in Columbia County after traffic stop leads to 30 kilos of cocaine seized

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Thirty kilos of cocaine – estimated at $4.5 million – were intercepted during a joint operation between deputies from Columbia County and Lowndes County, Georgia.

Hector Villarreal, 37, of Pasadena, Texas, was arrested on drug charges that could send him to prison for decades if convicted.

Federal investigators said the drugs were discovered during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 in Lake City, near the Interstate 10 interchange.

Villarreal was arrested after deputies said he failed to maintain his lane.

At a news conference, investigators said deputies noted several red flags that led them to suspect he was dealing drugs.

“They observed that his hands were visibly shaking and his chest was rising and falling so quickly that a deputy asked him if he was having a medical emergency. That was not the case,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg.

Investigators said other red flags were raised when Villarreal couldn't remember who he was renting his SUV to.

Additionally, after embarking on a drive that would take between 16 and 18 hours, investigators said Villareal told deputies he planned to stay in Hains City for only a few days.

“After Mr. Villarreal consented to a search of his vehicle, three large, heavy Home Depot cardboard boxes were found. The boxes were taped shut and smelled of Lysol. A can of Lysol was found under the passenger seat of the vehicle,” Handberg said.

Lysol is commonly used to mask the smell of illegal drugs.

“But that doesn't impact a K9's ability to find drugs. And that's what happened in this case,” Handberg said.

Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter said the county has seized “various amounts over the years,” but this incident needed to be “highlighted.”

“Cocaine kills people. This is thousands of dosage units that were intercepted before they could be, as the sheriff said, broken up and distributed in any way possible,” Handberg said.

In addition to preventing overdose deaths, investigators said seizing a large amount of cocaine could help reduce gun violence on the streets.

“It's a valuable commodity. It's something that individuals are going to want to protect, and we've seen that in our cases. Armed drug trafficking is a top priority,” Handberg said.

Villarreal was already on federal probation for a drug conviction in Texas.

He is now in jail on $10 million bail.