RI Man Caught With 26 Pounds Of Cocaine In Kayak On VT Lake: Feds

BURLINGTON, VT — A Rhode Island man was arrested last week after federal prosecutors said he was caught with 26 pounds of cocaine inside a kayak on Lake Champlain in Vermont near the Canadian border.

Freddy Rodriguez, 38, of West Warwick, was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, federal agents encountered Rodriguez along the shore behind a rented camp in Highgate, Vermont, the night of Sept. 18 into Sept. 19. Prosecutors said agents saw Rodriguez carrying a bag while walking to the shore of Lake Champlain.

After agents learned Rodriguez's kayak entered the United States on the lake traveling south near the camp, they saw Rodriguez transfer objects from his bag into a kayak, and drag the kayak into the water, prosecutors said.

When agents confronted him, Rodriguez tried to get away, but failed, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said the objects Rodriguez loaded into the kayak were brick-like objects wrapped in black cellophane-style packaging containing a white powder that tested positive for cocaine. According to prosecutors, the contents of the packages weighed about 26.4 pounds.

If convicted, Rodriguez faces up to 40 years in prison. He was released Monday on conditions of pre-trial supervision.

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