Man found in Columbia County with 66 pounds of cocaine in his car facing federal charges

LAKE CITY, Fla. — Investigators held a news conference Thursday morning about a major drug bust that happened in Lake City.

Deputies arrested a man driving with 66 pounds of deadly drugs in his car.

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This all happened while deputies were doing a training exercise in Columbia County. Action News Jax first told you about the arrest when it happened in May.

Thursday, authorities revealed details of the arrest. On day one of a three-day interdiction training with Georgia deputies, they pulled over 36-year-old Hector Villarreal after he was swerving out of his lane.

Man found in Columbia County with 66 pounds of cocaine in his car facing federal charges Man found in Columbia County with 66 pounds of cocaine in his car facing federal charges

Deputies say his hands were trembling and his chest was going up and down.

They found 30 kilos, or 66 pounds, of cocaine in his car.

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This arrest was made possible by the interdiction team, which includes the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.

U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg explained the significance of this case, as it is rare to seize that much cocaine from a single person.

“I have been told that drug traffickers sometimes believe that selling drugs is a path to riches. It is not. It is a path to investigation, arrest, indictment, conviction, and prison,” Handberg said.

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In two separate arrests, the task force seized Xanax, Oxycodone and more than $20,000 from two other suspects.

Just three days after Villarreal’s arrest, detectives with the task force arrested and charged 27-year-old Justin Hall and 20-year-old Zachary Hill various counts of drug trafficking in Lake City.

Deputies found marijuana, ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, among other drugs.

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Hall was also charged with child neglect since they were at the home where the drugs were found.

During the news conference, Action News Jax’s Meghan Moriarty asked Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter if he believes trafficking is a particular problem in Columbia County and if they’ve seen a rise in the number of overdoses.

“We just had a recent case where we responded to an overdose and some of our responders were contaminated and actually had to transport them to the hospital for treatment,” Hunter said. “This is a systemic problem not only statewide but nationwide.”

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He said especially in rural counties where resources are limited, they’re working to partner with other agencies.

“Those are some of the dangers out that we have out there that the men and women are facing and that’s why we’re working so hard,” Hunter said.

A mugshot for Villarreal isn’t available because typically mug shots are not released in federal cases. He could face between 10 years and life in prison.

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