Two out-of-state-residents each have been charged with felonies for allegedly trafficking drugs in Cooper County on Thursday, December 13.
A probable-cause statement says a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for violations near the 94 mile marker on I-70. The trooper contacted the occupants– 34-year-old Felix Lopez-Gutierrez, of Cincinnati, OH, and 19-year-old Jonathan Saul Padilla, of Fresno, CA — and noticed suspicious activity. A search of the vehicle reportedly discovered 301 pounds of marijuana which was stored in one-pound bundles within six duffel bags.
Online court documents say Lopez-Gutierrez and Padilla each have been charged with a Class B Felony for Traffic Drugs in the Second Degree and a Class C Felony for Delivery of a Controlled Substance. Bond for each has been set at $200,000 cash or surety.
An initial hearing for each of the accused is pending at Cooper County Circuit Court.