Five kilos of cocaine seized by Sheriff

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office made another large narcotics seizure Friday March 8, this time using one of Beaumont’s hard-working K-9 officers. 

The seizure began with a routine traffic stop about 4:30 a.m. near mile marker 845 on I-10. The man — who police later identified as Brian Anthony Lewis, 30, of Louisiana — was acting nervous according to a press release. 

Deputy Rod Carroll said the six-foot-seven, 350-pound Lewis became hostile to the Sheriff’s Deputy conducting the search. 

“He acted in a very aggressive manner with the deputy,” Carroll said. 

When the sheriff’s deputy asked for consent to search the vehicle, the suspect refused and the deputy deployed one of the department’s K-9 units who immediately alerted police to the presence of drugs. 

A search ensued and at least five kilos of cocaine were found in a hidden compartment of the vehicle with a street value of about $115,000, according to the press release. 

Lewis was booked in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility on possession of a controlled substance. 

His bond was set at $20,000. 

Although Carroll was sure to give credit to the K-9 officer who found the drugs, Carroll refused to identify the animal for fear of repercussions. 

“They’ve put hits on our animals,” he said.