Police removed axles and cut with saw

A semi tractor trailer with 46 kilograms of cocaine secreted into the frame of the trailer was busted last month by Pocono Mountain Regional Police and the Scranton DEA Task Force.

“This is directly linked to Mexican drug cartels,” PMRPD Chief Chris Wagner said.

Members of the Scranton DEA Task Force and PMRPD executed a search warrant on Feb. 8, on a leased warehouse at 111 Harry James Lane located in Blakeslee, where the tractor trailer was located.

A drug sniffing dog discovered drugs in the axles of the trailer.

Officials removed the axles from the back of the trailer and used a diamond tipped saw to cut open the metal axle.

They found several axles stuffed with kilograms of pure cocaine with a street value of $3.5 million. The axels had been tack welded after the cocaine was placed inside, Wagner said.

Manuel Escarcega Jr., present during the search was taken into custody by the DEA and was charged with Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Escarcega was arraigned in Federal District Court and remains incarcerated.

This investigation was a part of a continuing effort with the DEA Scranton Resident Office and the PMRPD to identify and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that are attempting to operate in the Pocono Mountain Region, Wagner said.