Lowell Trooper makes three drug arrests on Monday

Sep 02, 2023

PORTER CO. – On Monday, June 5, at approximately 7:45 a.m., a trooper assigned to the Lowell Post initiated a traffic stop along I-94 at the 26.8-mile marker on a 2005 VW Jetta for several traffic violations.

This location is just east of the State Road 49 exit ramp in Chesterton. During the traffic stop investigation, a search of the trunk revealed 1.9 pounds of cocaine that had been concealed in a duffel bag.

Both the driver Briseida Montenegro-Barrera from Aurora, IL. and the passenger Luis Alberto Sanchez-Expinoza, from Jalisco, Mexico, was arrested and charged with dealing in cocaine, a Level 2 felony. Both were incarcerated at the Porter County Jail.

At approximately 3 p.m., the same trooper initiated a traffic stop along I-80 near the 15 mile-marker on a 2006 Toyota Scion for several traffic violations. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the strong odor of raw marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in 17 pounds of marijuana products including marijuana, THC vapes, and THC edibles being seized. The passenger was cited for possession of marijuana and released.