Troopers seize $1.75 million worth of cocaine during traffic stop in central Ohio

• March 26, 2024

MADISON COUNTY – Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol filed two felony charges against a 27-year-old woman after she was found to be in possession of cocaine during a traffic stop in Madison County.

Around 1:30 p.m. on March 22, 2024, Troopers stopped a rented box truck, with out of state registration, traveling east on Interstate 70 for executing an unsafe lane change, following too closely to the vehicle ahead of it and for not using headlights while driving in the rain.

While troopers were interacting with the driver, she exhibited a high level of nervous behavior, provided an unusual travel story and they observed possible criminal items in the truck. A drug-sniffing canine also alerted to the vehicle, and during a search, troopers located 110 pounds of cocaine, wrapped in 50 individual packages, worth an estimated $1.75 million.

The suspect, 27-year-old Andrea I. Celaya Rodriguez, of Tucson, Arizona, was taken into custody and is being held at the Franklin County Jail. Celaya was charged with trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs, both of which are first-degree felonies. If convicted, Celaya Rodriguez could face up to 25 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.

ASHLAND WEATHER