Officers discover cocaine in battery

Law enforcement seized more than seven pounds of cocaine during a drug bust near Havre last week, and a California man is in jail pending charges.

Guillermo Juarez-Cardenas, 46, of Ceres, Calif., was arrested Saturday after officers found the cocaine hidden in the battery of his car during a traffic stop, said Judy Beck, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Justice.

The Montana Highway Patrol stopped Juarez-Cardenas for speeding early Saturday afternoon about 1 miles east of Havre on U.S. Highway 2, she said. The Highway Patrol requested assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol because Juarez-Cardenas does not speak English, Beck said. He was issued a summons for speeding and was about to continue driving when his car failed to start, she said.

"Officers helped him start his vehicle and noticed that the battery had been altered and contained a package that appeared to be dangerous drugs," Beck said. "They contacted the Tri-Agency Task Force and received a search warrant for the vehicle. They searched the car and found 7.3 pounds of cocaine hidden in the battery."

Juarez-Cardenas is being held in the Hill County Detention Center on $100,000 bond. He has not been charged in connection with the incident.

A member of the Tri-Agency Task Force said the street value of the cocaine exceeds $300,000. The agent said the investigative report would be turned over the Hill County Attorney today.