In what appears to be a significant blow to drug trafficking operations, Arizona State Troopers have pulled over a semi-truck to unveil a hidden cargo of more than half a ton of cocaine. The unexpected find took place during a traffic stop conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) on Monday, with a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement trooper flagging down a Volvo tractor-trailer for what seemed to be routine civil traffic violations, as per AZDPS's report.

The stop occurred on eastbound Interstate 40 in Holbrook and though it began as a commonplace check, it briskly evolved into a criminal discovery, the trooper on the scene picking up on several signs hinting at illegality that led to a thorough inspection—and stash of illegal goods was discovered in the vehicle, 553.8 pounds of cocaine were concealed amongst a load of innocuous produce, drugs that were bound for the streets of Canada routed from the cities of Salinas and Los Angeles according to AZDPS's report.

The driver, identified as Amarjeet Singh Matharu, a 31-year-old man, is now incarcerated at Navajo County Jail, the charges against him include possession and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale, the truck's concealed bounty having an estimated street value of between approximately $16.6 million and $22.1 million, a figure that attests to the magnitude of this interception in the drug trafficking network.