Quarter ton of cocaine seized in Arizona traffic stop

Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers confiscated nearly 554 pounds of cocaine hidden within boxes on a tractor-trailer in Holbrook on Monday.

The department estimates that cocaine is worth anywhere from $16.6 million to $22.1 million, according to a news release.

The drugs were being smuggled from California with the goal of reaching Canada. Law enforcement had pulled them over for alleged “civil traffic violations.”

“AZDPS remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners at all levels to dismantle drug trafficking operations and disrupt the flow of illegal drugs within our communities,” the news release stated.

Some of the packaging hiding the cocaine was labeled with luxury car brand logos such as Land Rover and Lamborghini Urus.

Amarjeet Singh Matharu, the 31-year-old driving the large truck, was arrested for alleged “possession and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale” in Navajo County.

DPS regularly touts the seizure of illegal drugs by its troopers. From August to November, the department noted that it caught 6,498 pounds of drugs, including nearly 5,000 pounds of marijuana, 837 pounds of fentanyl, and 231 pounds of cocaine.