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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

CALERA – The Calera Police Department has shared further details regarding the arrest of two “illegal” immigrants in the city of Calera who were allegedly caught transporting 21 kilograms of cocaine.

Calera Chief of Police David Hyche was joined by Reed McLaughlin of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency for a press conference regarding the arrest on Monday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. During the conference, Hyche provided a breakdown of the events leading to the arrest and answered questions related to the case.

On the night of Feb. 6, a patrol officer with the Calera Police Department stopped a vehicle that was traveling through Calera without a tag light on Interstate 65 southbound. After approaching the vehicle, the officer detected marijuana and utilized probable cause to search the vehicle and located 21 kilograms, or approximately 46 pounds, of cocaine within a compartment. The driver and passenger of the vehicle were subsequently arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

Upon arrest, the two suspects made their country of origin and legal status known to the two responding officers. According to the Calera Police Department, both suspects are Colombian citizens and entered “in this country illegally.” One of the suspects is wanted in Atlanta, Georgia for drug trafficking and failure to appear.

“We believe they’re from California and were on their way to Miami, (Florida),” Hyche said. “I have a theory about that. (It) doesn’t seem like the most direct route but there is a lot of interdiction on I-10, there’s a lot of interdiction on I-75, I-85 and I-20. You don’t hear about as much on I-65. Maybe they thought that was the best way to come.”

Information on any potential connection to the cartel is not yet available, but Hyche said he wouldn’t be surprised if authorities were to discover one.

The drugs seized during the arrest have been safely secured and transported thanks to the department’s partnership with The Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force who is affiliated with Homeland Security Investigations.

“One of the two individuals had a pending narcotics trafficking case in Fulton County, Georgia, so we called our partners with the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force,” Hyche said. “We are members of that task force, we have an officer assigned and they helped us process the drugs and get them in a safe location.”

During the press conference, McLaughlin expressed his gratitude for the partnership with the task force and highlighted the organization’s efforts.

“I just want to say, ‘Thank you’ for putting somebody on the task force,” McLaughlin said. “We have many affiliates on our task force. The task force works hard at doing the best they can in taking all the narcotics off the streets.”

While formal numbers have not yet been released, Hyche shared the estimated value of the cocaine seized may be as much as $2 million and could potentially be the largest drug seizure in Shelby County’s history.

“I do know that it’s roughly 21,000 kilograms and if it’s divided up and you add the price of a gram, it’s a lot of money, “Hyche said. “Possibly a couple million dollars, but I can’t say for sure.”

Hyche said he believes cocaine is starting to “make a comeback” and that it has become far cheaper than it used to be due to the amount that is able to be distributed across the U.S. border.

“When I started doing this back in the late ‘80s, cocaine and heroin were unbelievably expensive—(and) there was no such thing as fentanyl,” Hyche said. “It is dirt cheap now and you know why it’s dirt cheap? Because there is an unlimited, unhindered supply. Regardless of your politics, it’s the truth. If we controlled the borders, the dope would be expensive. The dope is cheap (which) means that it’s walking right across the border, all day, every day.”

Hyche shared that he could not be more proud of the officers that made the stop and expressed his gratitude for those who worked the shift, including dispatchers and investigators.

“Many cities around the country have stopped doing traffic stops for minor violations,” Hyche said. “I’ve spoken out before about this, and I think it’s an enormous mistake… I think when we apologize for enforcing the law as law enforcement leaders, we encourage more crime. I think that by being proactive, like we were in this particular case, it helps our city become safe.”

Cristian Yesid Lugo Belran, of San Jose, California, was arrested by the Calera Police Department for allegedly trafficking illegal drugs and the unlawful possession of marijuana in the second degree. According to court documents, Lugo Beltran committed the offense of trafficking cocaine on Feb. 6 at approximately 9:11 p.m. and was caught on Interstate 65 southbound near mile marker 228 with 21 kilograms of cocaine or a mixture containing cocaine. Lugo Beltran is currently in the Shelby County Jail on a$10,001,000 total bond.

Jhorman Zapata, of San Jose, was arrested by the Calera Police Department for allegedly trafficking cocaine in the amount of 21 kilograms on Feb. 6 at approximately 9:11 p.m. Zapata was booked into the Shelby County Jail on Feb. 7 for trafficking illegal drugs on a total bond of $10,000,000.

“We didn’t initially know where these two were from, what they had in their car or their immigration status,” Hyche said. “The choices these two men made led to this outcome.”

Members of the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force, Homeland Security, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and United States Attorney’s Office are working with the Calera Police Department on this case.

“We want to make sure we do everything the right way, do everything constitutional and make a good case,” Hyche said. “We also want to go with the best prosecution we can get for Alabama, whether that be state, federal or a combination of both.”