Drug charges filed against California man

A California man has been charged with two felonies in connection with a July 17 traffic stop which led to the seizure of more than 7 pounds of cocaine.

Guillermo Juarez-Cardenas, 46, of Ceres, Calif., was charged today in state District Court with criminal possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to distribute, and use or possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture.

If convicted on both charges, he faces up to 30 years in prison.

Juarez-Cardenas was stopped by the Montana Highway Patrol for speeding about 1 miles east of Havre, the state Department of Justice said last week. He was issued a citation and was about to leave, but his car wouldn't start, said Judy Beck, a department spokeswoman.

Officers tried to help him start the car and noticed that the battery had been altered and appeared to contain packages of drugs, Beck said.

According to the charging document, the Tri-Agency Task Force obtained a search warrant for the 1999 Nissan Altima. Agents disassembled the battery, which held five packages of cocaine, the document said.

A task force agent last week said cocaine has a street value of $100 a gram, meaning the total estimated street value of the seizure exceeds $320,000.

Juarez-Cardenas was taken to the Hill County Detention Center, where he agreed to speak to law enforcement, according to the charging document. He told task force agents that he had been in Toppenish, Wash., visiting relatives and was on his way to the Chicago area to visit his sister when he was pulled over, the document said.

Juarez-Cardenas denied any knowledge of the cocaine, the document said.

The charge of use or possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture stems from his alleged use of the Nissan Altima to transport drugs and possession of $442.33 in cash that law enforcement believes is related to drug trafficking.