2 women arrested with 40 pounds of cocaine in hidden van compartment on I-20, investigators say

HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies seized 16 bricks of cocaine out of a van’s hidden compartment in the largest cocaine bust in Haralson County.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan was in Haralson Friday, where two women from Carrollton are accused of smuggling more than 40 pounds of drugs.

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Early Friday morning, a Haralson County deputy pulled the women’s van over on I-20 for having illegally tinted windows, but the stop quickly turned into a major bust.

“While they were starting the traffic stop, the K-9 got to go around for a free air sniff and he hit on the vehicle,” Sgt. Heather Mecillas said.

Inside a hidden compartment, they found bricks upon bricks of cocaine with a street value of about $1.3 million.

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“To my knowledge, this is the largest bust we have ever had,” Mecillas said. “I don’t recall one being quite this large. This is a huge amount.”

Susana Cisneros, 38, and Juaquina Del Carmen Recinos, 29, were both arrested. One of the women is pregnant and in her third trimester.

The woman wouldn’t talk to police.

Investigators said the cocaine was to be sold across west Georgia and they are happy it never made its destination.

Mecillas said that most cocaine is now cut with fentanyl to boost profits and potency.

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“Fentanyl is terribly dangerous,” Mecillas said. “A small amount will kill you. This is a big hit for our area, that is so much poison that will not be on our streets tonight.”

Cisneros and Recinos are being held without bond on charges of violation of the Georgia Controlled Substance Act (VGCSA), trafficking cocaine and traffic offenses.

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