Police Intercept 30 Pounds Of Liquid Meth Headed For Sandy Springs

NEWNAN, GA -- A suspicious SUV parked in behind a big box retailer last week in Coweta County led to police intercepting about 30 pounds of liquid methamphetamine headed to Sandy Springs.

Newnan police arrested and charged Rafael De La Cruz, 30, and Abigail Valles, 29, each with trafficking meth following an April 15 traffic stop.

According to an incident report released by the Newnan Police Department, officers pulled over a Ford Edge bearing a Texas license plate, which matched the description of a suspicious vehicle police were on the look out for.

The SUV, occupied by a male and female, was observed driving behind stores at a shopping center near Walmart on Bullsboro Drive. According to the report, officers worked numerous entering auto incidents in the area and conducted a traffic stop on the car.

The driver of the SUV, De La Cruz, informed police he did not have a license, but did provide his name and date of birth. He also gave verbal consent to search the vehicle, the report adds.

During the search, police recovered a black duffel bag containing 24 Lipton Green Tea bottles all marked with labels printed in Spanish. Inside the bottles appeared to be "liquid/wet" methamphetamine, the report indicates.

The male told police he and his wife drove from Laredo, Texas, to deliver the bottles to an individual in Sandy Springs for $5,000 and that he'd already been caught at the border. Both were also carrying red pouches and when asked what they were, the man and woman told officers they were good luck charms "that they use when delivering illegal narcotics."

De La Cruz allegedly told officers the narcotics came from the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. The meth inside the bottles weighed roughly 30.3 pounds, the report adds.

De La Cruz and Valles were each booked into the Coweta County Jail on Saturday, April 15 with no bond.

Image via Newnan Police Department