Man sentenced for hidden drug stash found during Fresno County traffic stop

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The man who was found driving up Interstate 5 in Fresno County with over 100 pounds of drugs hidden in the roof and ceiling of his vehicle was sentenced Monday, the United States Department of Justice said.

The DOJ says 42-year-old Jose Miguel Perez, of Corona, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for possessing more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 1 kilogram of heroin with intent to distribute.

Court documents report that Perez was driving on Interstate 5 in Fresno County when he was pulled over by law enforcement. At the time, law enforcement seized 56 kilograms of various narcotics in the car’s two hidden compartments: seven kilograms of cocaine that were hidden in the ceiling of the car, and 37 kilograms of cocaine, 10 kilograms of heroin and 2 kilograms of ketamine were seized from a hidden compartment in the car’s roof.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.