A 45-year-old California man is behind bars on federal drug charges after cops found 27 kilograms of methamphetamine stashed in a secret compartment inside a tractor trailer he was driving through New Jersey. Tomas Lopez Beltran, of South Gate, California, was pulled over in Woodbridge on October 28, 2016, during a routine traffic stop that quickly turned into one of the largest meth busts in recent state history.
Beltran appeared in Newark federal court today, facing a single count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson ordered him detained pending trial. The charge carries a minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10 million fine.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, DEA agents conducted the traffic stop and initiated a lawful search of the rig. Hidden inside the cab’s concealed compartment, investigators recovered the 27-kilogram stash—worth an estimated street value in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The discovery underscores the use of long-haul trucks as a favored method for drug smuggling across state lines.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced the charges and credited the DEA’s Newark Division, led by Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski, with cracking the case. Federal prosecutors allege Beltran knowingly transported the drugs across state lines as part of a larger distribution network—though no co-conspirators have been named in the initial complaint.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen D. Stringer and Mary Toscano, Chief of the General Crimes Unit in Newark. Beltran is represented by David Holman, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, who declined to comment following the hearing.
This bust is the latest in a string of high-profile interdictions along the East Coast, as federal agencies intensify efforts to disrupt the flow of synthetic drugs from West Coast trafficking organizations. With meth seizures on the rise nationwide, authorities warn that penalties for distribution—especially at this scale—will be met with maximum enforcement.
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- Heroin and Cocaine Kingpin Linked to 50+ Kilograms of Cocaine, 1 Kilogram of Heroin, Guilty Plea · Maryland
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- Cocaine Conspiracy Lands 151 Months for Washington Man · Washington
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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