Largest cocaine cache in 3 years seized in traffic stop
By Cat Sandoval
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WHITESTOWN, Indiana (WISH) — A routine traffic stop became a huge drug bust, police say.
Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department said on Tuesday that it confiscated 24.5 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $200,000. Ten large, silver-wrapped packages were inside a duffel bag at the back of the car of Tionia Britany Miles, 36.
Police Capt. John Jurkash said it’s the largest quantity of narcotics the department has confiscated not just this year, but in the past three years.
The traffic stop turned drug bust happened about 8:30 p.m. Monday on southbound I-65 near the Whitestown exit for Boone County Road 550 South.
Jurkash said, “This was overnight shift, so while people were maybe watching ‘Monday Night Football’ or tucking their kids in for the night, our guys were out looking for criminals and criminal activity. This is a pretty significant one that I just hope the community sees and appreciates the hard work and dedication that our officers are putting in.”
Initially, officers detected a strong odor of marijuana, which led them to search the rest of the vehicle. Indiana is one of four U.S. states where marijuana is illegal. A police dog named K9 Jeter assisted with the arrest.
The police captain said, “This is a testament to how hard those handlers work with their partners and just how great an asset police K9s are.”
The department’s three police dogs and their handlers have made 104 narcotics busts since the start of 2025.
Jurkash said 1 in every 11 arrests in Whitestown is drug-related. The majority of drugs they confiscate are marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Jurkash said the department is committed to combating drug trafficking and keeping dangerous substances off roadways and out of the community.
“This very directly could have hit close to home if the drugs were headed to Indianapolis to be distributed. We don’t know that at this time, but Indianapolis is a local nearby city that’s 10-15 minutes south of us.”
Miles on Tuesday night was in Boone County Jail. The Indianapolis resident faces preliminary felony charges for dealing cocaine. Online court records on Tuesday night did not yet show a case filed against Miles.
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