12/30/2009 10:41:00 AM SUV stop ends with arrest of two men carrying seven pounds of cocaine
Emilio Lopez-Burgos
Isai Villasenor
About 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday, a Yavapai Sheriff's deputy spotted a Dodge Durango with New Mexico plates on I-17 speeding and following too closely.
The officer stopped the Durango at Cordes Lakes; 30-year-old Emilio Lopez-Burgos, the driver, is from New Mexico, and his passenger, 27-year-old Isai Villasenor, is from Colorado.
Both were extremely nervous when deputies spoke with each about their relationship and travel plans, but both told very different stories.
Due to the suspicious behavior and indicators of narcotics involvement, the K9 deputy asked consent to search the SUV. The driver agreed.
At the rear of the vehicle, deputies noticed the flooring had been artificially raised. They found a hidden compartment under the rear seat that contained drugs.
The vehicle was towed to an auto yard so the compartment could be completely exposed. Inside, deputies located three packages of cocaine with a total weight over seven pounds. Both said they knew of the drugs.
Lopez-Burgos and Villasenor were booked into the Camp Verde Jail, charged with transportation and sales of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
