A Los Angeles man was arrested Friday afternoon on U.S. Interstate 80 with a large load of cocaine and methamphetamine.
Dromynique Shimal Chestnut, 31, of 2520 Pomeroy Ave., Los Angeles, was charged with controlled substance violation and failure to affix drug stamp.
The incident began about 3 p.m. Friday on eastbound U.S. Interstate 80 near the 104 mile marker, where an Iowa State Patrol Trooper observed a 2020 Mercedes Sprinter van commit “multiple traffic violations,” according to court records.
The trooper initiated a traffic stop, and a narcotics-detection dog performed a free air sniff of the van and indicated the odor of narcotics.
A probable cause search of the van disclosed “24 packages of suspected cocaine and 61 packages of suspected crystal methamphetamine,” according to court records.
Chestnut told the trooper that “he was being paid $3,000 to $4,000 to drive the van,” according to court records.
Chestnut is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $500,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 16 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.