COCAINE • 300
pounds of cocaine were found in this truck when the
driver was stopped by Sgt. Paul Mangelson of the
Utah Highway Patrol. The cocaine was allegedly
headed for Indiana. Photo Utah Highway Patrol
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
An Indiana man faces federal charges after 134 kilograms
of cocaine were found during a traffic stop Thursday night,
May 22, approximately 2 miles south of Nephi along
Interstate 15.
Robert Alan Wisniewski, 41, was charged Friday with one
count of possession of cocaine with the intent to
distribute.
Street value of the drug is estimated at several million
dollars.
Wisniewski was arrested by Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Paul
Mangelson following the traffic stop.
"I pulled the suspect over after observing his erratic
driving pattern," said Mangelson. "The driver was weaving on
the road and traveling at 12 mph below the posted speed
limit."
He said he noted, prior to the stop, that the vehicle was
swerving.
Mangelson said he asked for permission to search
Wisniewski's pickup truck after noticing a strong odor of
perfume in the cab and seeing the driver's hands
trembling.
The resultant search netted nearly 300 pounds of cocaine
being ferried in a pickup truck.
During the search, four duffel bags and one suitcase were
found in the covered truck bed. The luggage contained 134
wrapped bricks of what later tested positive for
cocaine.
"I made the stop because I was concerned the driver might
be impaired," he said. Those who are driving while impaired
are a danger not only to themselves but to others traveling
on the interstate.
Wisniewski, was taken to Juab County Jail and was then
taken to federal facilities in Salt Lake City.
Wisniewski made an initial appearance in federal court
Friday morning.
He will return to federal court during the week after
Memorial Day for an arraignment hearing.
According to statements contained in those court
documents, Wisniewski told police he was on his way to
Chicago and was being paid $50,000 to transport the
drugs
He also reportedly said he had made one such trip per
month for the past seven months, making between $30,000 and
$50,000 each time.
Mangelson confiscated the 134 kilos of cocaine packaged
in rubber balloons wrapped in cellophane and electrician's
tape, which had been concealed under a hard cover in the
truck bed. Confiscated drugs are held as evidence until
court proceedings are over and then the drugs are
destroyed.
The bust is believed to be the state's fourth-largest
drug haul, state troopers said.
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