A routine traffic stop on Highway 136 near McKaig Loop in Dade County turned into a major narcotics bust Thursday, after deputies discovered 13.2 pounds of cocaine and 2.2 pounds of fentanyl hidden behind the dashboard of a stopped vehicle. The driver, identified as Martin Antonio Nolasco-Guzman, now faces six counts of trafficking in cocaine, a trafficking in fentanyl charge, the brake light violation, and a charge for operating a vehicle with a false or secret compartment.
A Traffic Violation Leads To A Major Seizure
According to WSB-TV, Dade County Sheriff's Office deputies stopped the vehicle on Highway 136 East near McKaig Loop, and Georgia State Patrol troopers joined deputies in uncovering the drugs concealed behind the dashboard. The combined haul represents a substantial multi-kilogram interdiction carried out jointly by the two agencies along a rural stretch of state highway, the station reports. Nolasco-Guzman is reportedly from El Tumbador, Guatemala.
Highway 136 itself has a storied place in Dade County's history. The road, which descends Sand Mountain and Lookout Mountain to link Interstate 59 near Trenton with neighboring Walker County, was built in 1941 to finally connect the county to the rest of Georgia's road network, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Before that, the county's rugged mountain topography was so isolating that it earned the nickname the State of Dade.
Charges Carry Decades-Long Mandatory Minimums
The weight of the seized narcotics alone is enough to trigger Georgia's harshest drug statutes. Under Georgia Code § 16-13-31, possessing or transporting 400 grams or more of cocaine carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 25 years and a $1 million statutory fine upon conviction, according to Justia Law. The 13.2 pounds recovered near McKaig Loop amounts to nearly 6,000 grams, well above that threshold.
The fentanyl charge carries an even steeper penalty. Georgia's Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act, known as Senate Bill 79 and effective since July 1, 2025, set a mandatory minimum of 35 years in prison and a $750,000 fine for trafficking 28 grams or more of fentanyl, per research published by the Reading Room at Georgia State University. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on a proposed bill that would lower certain possession thresholds.
The Hidden Compartment Carries Its Own Felony
Beyond the trafficking counts, Nolasco-Guzman faces a separate charge tied to the dashboard compartment.
Sheriff Credits Deputies For The Bust
Dade County Sheriff Ray Cross praised his deputies for their work in making the seizure, according to the sheriff's office. He said the drug bust could have saved lives by keeping the narcotics out of local communities. “Every ounce of illegal drugs that we seize, makes a difference,” Cross said.
It remains unclear where the vehicle originated or where it was headed, and whether federal authorities will become involved given the international background of the suspect and the multi-state highway route.
