(Storm Lake)– A traffic stop in Monona county Sunday has led to the arrest of several people on federal drug charges.
Just before 11:00 p.m. Sunday, a Monona county deputy stopped a vehicle with California license plates on Interstate 29 for a traffic violation.
After making contact with the driver, 44-year-old Salvador Esqueda of Calexico, California, deputies conducted a canine search of the vehicle. The drug dog found six pounds of crystal meth packaged and hidden in a compartment behind the driver’s seat.
Esqueda was taken into custody and the Tri-State Drug Task Force out of Sioux City was called to assist. They soon discovered the meth was intended to go to 26-year-old Teofilo Andrade of Storm Lake. At 1:30 p.m. Monday, investigators arranged for the delivery of the meth to Andrade in the parking lot of the Super Wal-Mart in Storm Lake. Soon after he took possession of the drugs, Andrade was taken into custody without incident.
Later that afternoon, officers conducted a consent search of his home at 304 East 12th Street in Storm Lake. They found an additional pound of crystal meth and 38-thousand dollars in cash. Also, another resident of the home, 24-year-old Sandra Andrade, was taken into custody.
Further investigation revealed the drugs were to be passed on to a Worthington, Minnesota man–32-year-old Linthong Thyboualoy. Investigators once again set up a delivery for 9:00 p.m. Monday at a rest stop near Worthington. Thyboualoy was taken into custody and officers found 10-thousand dollars in cash at the scene.
All four are facing a federal conspiracy to deliver controlled substance charge.
So far, over 48-thousand dollars in cash has been seized and seven pounds of crystal meth valued at 200-thousand dollars has been taken off the street.
Additional charges are possible as the investigation continues.
(Story from Danielle Hitchings of sister station KDWD Hot 100 in Spencer.).
