Troopers find 13 pounds of cocaine hidden in SUV after traffic stop on Pa. Turnpike
State police reported finding on Wednesday 13 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden in an SUV while it was traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Westmoreland County.
Troopers estimated the street value of the drugs at $150,000.
A trooper who was monitoring westbound traffic in Mt. Pleasant Township around 1 p.m. Wednesday reported in court papers that he spotted a Jeep Grand Cherokee with illegal tinted windows. A traffic stop was made around mile marker 83.
The driver, identified by police as Ronald Anthony Gatto, 32, of New York, and a passenger gave police consent to search the vehicle. Troopers said they found two elaborately concealed hidden compartments, one of which contained 13 pounds of suspected cocaine.
Gatto was taken into custody on drug charges. He was arraigned Thursday morning and jailed at the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $250,000 bail. His passenger was not charged.
Gatto did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for May 7.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.