Published: August 29, 2008 09:17 pm            

CRIME: Tonawanda couple busted in Ohio

Two Tonawanda residents were arrested Thursday morning in Ohio after state highway patrol there seized $210,000 worth of cocaine and heroin following a traffic stop.

Lisa Fonseca, 33, and Jose Vega, 41, both of Tonawanda, were charged with five felonies including possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine and possession of criminal tools, according to a media release issued by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

At about 8:12 a.m. Thursday, Ohio state troopers stopped a 2002 Chevy Impala with Ohio registration for a vehicle defect on Interstate 71 in Richland County. Fonseca was identified as the driver and Vega as her passenger.

A patrol drug-detecting canine alerted police and a probable cause search revealed more than a kilo of cocaine and a quarter-pound of heroin, authorities said.

Fonseca and Vega are being held in the Richland County Jail. They face up to 41 years in prison and $82,500 in fines if convicted.

Through July, Ohio State Highway Patrol has seized more than a million grams of illegal drugs, valued at approximately $25 million.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.