“Blowin’ in the Snow: Troopers Find 11 Pounds of Cocaine During Snow Storm Stop”
Porter County- A California man was arrested in Porter County after police reportedly discovered more than 11 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden inside his vehicle during a traffic stop.
According to the affidavit, around 5:44 p.m. on November 10, 2025, an officer was patrolling southbound on State Road 49 near Vale Park Road when a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee was observed traveling faster than the posted limit in snowy, icy conditions that had caused multiple crashes across Northwest Indiana. The Jeep was paced at approximately 60 mph in a 55 mph zone through a single-lane construction area before being stopped near the bottom of the U.S. 30 westbound ramp.
After the vehicle stopped, the officer made contact with the driver, identified by a California driver’s license as Daniel Aguilar Ramirez, 35, of Turlock, California. Ramirez said he currently lives in Knox, Indiana, but had not updated his license.
When asked if everything in the Jeep belonged to him, Ramirez confirmed that it did and denied having anything illegal inside. The officer then conducted a free-air sniff of the vehicle with K-9 Kai, who is trained and certified in detecting illegal drugs. Kai gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics.
During a subsequent search, police located an Amazon box on the back seat containing four vacuum-sealed brick-shaped packages, each wrapped and labeled with a John Deere logo. The officer recognized the packaging as consistent with methods used to traffic illegal drugs.
The packages were later taken to the Indiana State Police Lowell Post, where one package tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 2.91 pounds. Each of the four packages was similar in size and weight, for a combined total of about 11.64 pounds of suspected cocaine.
Ramirez was taken into custody and transported to the Porter County Jail where he is being held on an immigration detainer for ICE as it was determined that Ramirez is an illegal.
Charge filed November 12,2025:
• Dealing in Cocaine (Level 2 Felony)
Currently lodged in the Porter County Jail.
