A truck driver has been sentenced to federal prison after a Nebraska State Trooper discovered a more than 100 pounds of illegal drugs stashed a hidden compartment in his trailer.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that 49 year old Felipe Genao Minaya has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
The drugs were discovered on April 26, 2018, during a traffic stop on I-80 near Kearney, Nebraska.
Troopers initially stopped the truck after observing it driving on the shoulder in the eastbound lanes of the interstate. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.
State troopers conducted a search of the vehicle and discovered a false compartment in the empty trailer. The compartment, which was located behind the refrigeration unit, contained 42 foil-wrapped packages that held 118 pounds of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The drug seizure was called one of the largest in state history at the times.
Genao-Minaya and a passenger in the truck, Nelson Nunez-Acosta, were arrested.
Nunez-Acosta was the owner of the trucking company NNN Transport. Minaya was an employee of NNN Transport.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Minaya became suspicious when Nunez-Acosta flew from New Jersey to California to meet with him about picking up a load. He said that he suspected he was hauling something illegal but that he didn’t know what it was.
Nunez-Acosta has pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, November 13.