The state Highway Patrol seized over 200 pounds of meth during a stop.
The governor’s office said troopers stopped a 42-year-old man for speeding on I-90 in Sturgis. During the stop, a police dog alerted to troopers to the presence of drugs.
Troopers found 207 pounds of crystal meth with a street value of $12 million, making it the largest drug seizure in Highway Patrol history, officials said.
After he was arrested, authorities determined the suspect was not a U.S. Citizen.
He is now transferred to federal custody. This is the eighth non-citizen stopped by the Highway Patrol since its 287(g) agreement with ICE, authorities say.
The 287(g) agreement is part of a larger initiative called Operation: Prairie Thunder led by Gov. Larry Rhoden. He claimed the bust is possible due to the initiative.
He added that his administration is “taking action to protect the people of South Dakota from criminals and drug traffickers” and said its being done through Operation: Prairie Thunder.
The driver is charged with felony distributing and possessing a controlled substance, as well as possessing drug paraphernalia.
