A deputy with the Seward County Interdiction Task Force initiated a traffic stop on June 3 at about 1 p.m. on a 2023 Jeep Laredo for a traffic violation near mile marker 386 eastbound I80.
According to a news release from the Seward County Sheriff's Dept., the vehicle was occupied by a 50-year-old female and a five-year-old child. During the traffic stop, the deputy became increasingly suspicious of criminal activity. The deputy requested, and was granted, consent to search the vehicle by the driver.
During a search of the SUV, the deputy located 62 pounds of methamphetamine that was concealed in the rear of the vehicle. The approximate street value is more than $2.2 million.
The driver, Maria S Diaz, 50, of Joliet, Illinois, was taken into custody without incident as a result of this traffic stop. Diaz was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver and Intentional Child Abuse/No Injury.
Diaz was remanded to the Seward County Detention Center pending further court action. The child was turned over to personnel with the Department of Health and Human Services.
