Man wanted in Miami for child sex crimes caught in Indiana with cocaine and meth during traffic stop, authorities say – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
WESTVILLE, Ind. (WSVN) – A Florida man wanted in Miami-Dade County for sexual battery of a minor and child molestation was arrested in Indiana after authorities discovered a large drug stash during a traffic stop, according to officials.
The incident occurred just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday on eastbound I-90 in Northwest Indiana, when a Lake County Sheriff’s Department Highway Interdiction Unit officer pulled over a Chevrolet Tahoe for reportedly following too closely and failing to maintain its lane.
A records check revealed the driver, 39-year-old Yohan Ponce Riera of Ocala, Florida, was wanted by the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office on charges of sexual battery of a minor and child molestation, authorities said.
While taking Ponce Riera into custody, officers searched the vehicle and found 16 kilos of cocaine and 50 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a cooler and suitcase, the sheriff’s department said.
Federal drug charges are pending through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“I commend the outstanding work of our officers for the quick and decisive arrest of a dangerous suspect traveling through our area,” said Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. “These police officers also seized a significant amount of narcotics that will never threaten our communities now.”
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