PIQUA – An Arizona man will appear in the Eaton Municipal Court today after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized 18 kilos of cocaine on Interstate 70 in Preble County yesterday.

Tracy L. Depew, 37, of Phoenix, Ariz., was charged with possession of cocaine, a first-degree felony, and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

Troopers stopped a 1999 Mercury Villager mini-van, driven by Depew, for a following too close violation eastbound on Interstate 70, near milepost 8, in Preble County at 12:32 p.m. yesterday.

A Patrol drug-detecting canine alerted to the vehicle and a probable cause search revealed 18 kilos of cocaine in the vehicle. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $1.8 million.

Depew was incarcerated at the Preble County Jail. If convicted, he could face up to 11 years in prison and up to a $22,500 fine.

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