A man was convicted on drug trafficking charges after prosecutors said he hid more than $120,000 worth of methamphetamine in a secret compartment in his car.
A Cobb County jury found Florentino Hernandez Jr. guilty of multiple charges, according to Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes.
Investigators found the drugs in Hernandez’s car during a planned traffic stop in 2016, months after narcotics and intelligence agents first became aware of him, Holmes said.
Federal authorities notified local agents that Hernandez and others were believed to be involved in high-level cocaine and meth transportation and distribution. Local officials spent months tracking Hernandez, Holmes said.
Credit: Cobb County District Attorney's Office
Credit: Cobb County District Attorney's Office
Hernandez, who then lived in Marietta, was driving a blue Chevrolet Impala north on Sandtown Road near Powder Springs Road on Feb. 4 when the agents pulled him over.
During the traffic stop, a police dog alerted that something was in the vehicle, and agents searched it, Holmes said.
Police found a trap between the back seats and the trunk of the car that held more than 15 pounds of meth in “various stages of production,” according to Holmes. Investigators said it had a street value of more than $120,000.
Credit: Cobb County District Attorney's Office
Credit: Cobb County District Attorney's Office
Hernandez had a loaded Glock 17 handgun in his waistband and a 31-round magazine near the small of his back during the stop, Holmes said.
On the same afternoon, investigators executed a search warrant at an apartment off Windy Hill Road in Smyrna, Holmes said. It yielded more than 50 grams of cocaine and led to charges against Melvin Osbeli Lopez, 33.
Hernandez was convicted of trafficking meth, operating a vehicle with a secret compartment, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and making an improper turn. He was living in Lithonia while awaiting trial in the case, but was returned to custody after the verdict came in, Holmes said. He has not been sentenced.
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