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State police from Troop G in Bridgeport were conducting patrol checks at 3 p.m. at the southbound rest area in Milford when they saw a man standing outside his pickup truck in the parking lot.
The man, identified as John Carlos Torres, 30, was on his cellphone and appeared to be agitated, said state police. Troopers also noted numerous equipment violations on the pickup truck, according to police.
Torres and a second man got into the pickup and left the service area and got back on I-95 south, said state police.
Troopers stopped the vehicle on I-95 and questioned Torres and the passenger, who appeared nervous, state police said. In the brief conversation, troopers "determined that narcotics may be contained in the vehicle," according to state police.
A state police Narcotics Detection K9 team arrived to assist and determined that narcotics were in the pickup truck, according to state police.
A search of the vehicle turned up a bag containing 10,000 Oxycodone pills, whose street value was estimated at $200,000, said state police.
Torres was taken into custody and transported to Troop G. The Oxycodone pills were seized, according to state police. The passenger was released at the scene.
Based on the bulk quantity of the narcotics, troopers contacted the Drug Enforcement Administration.
DEA agents responded to Troop G and after consulting with the U.S. attorney's office decided to assume the investigation, according to state police.
Torres was released to the custody of the DEA, which will be filing criminal charges, said police.
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