LEXINGTON — The Nebraska State Patrol has seized 26 pounds of suspected methamphetamine after a traffic stop Monday near the Overton interchange.
Octavio Padilla Garcia, 35, of Los Angeles is charged in Dawson County Court with felony possession of methamphetamine, 140 or more grams. He is being held at the Dawson County Jail on $1 million bail.
At 5:57 p.m. Monday, a State Patrol trooper stopped a vehicle after it failed to stop at a stop sign at the Overton I-80 interchange, court records indicate.
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The driver, Garcia, allegedly provided the name Octavio Padilla and said he was traveling to Omaha to visit his wife and son. Garcia said he was visiting for a few days and would then go back to Los Angeles with his family, records indicate.
The vehicle was not registered, and Garcia allegedly said it belonged to a family member. Several seconds later, Garcia told the trooper the vehicle belonged to his cousin.
Garcia denied having illegal drugs and gave the trooper permission to search the vehicle, according to court records.
In the trunk, the trooper allegedly found a black duffle bag containing 25 packages containing a white substance. The contents, which field-tested positive for meth, were seized and weighed 26.2 pounds.
One package of blue pills, weighing 0.3 pounds, was also confiscated. The drugs will be sent to the patrol’s crime lab for identification.
Garcia was then arrested.
A preliminary hearing was set for March 4.
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