Javier Lopez Cardenas, 31, and Jose Luis Martinez, 29, arrived in a truck just before 3 p.m. with the packaged kilos of cocaine in a laundry bin.
The transaction was made and officers quickly swooped in to complete the deal.
The two men, both South Putnam residents, are expected to face federal indictments for trafficking, with a possibility that charges may include conspiracy to distribute cocaine. As it now stands they face maximum life terms under federal sentencing guidelines.
Cardenas has a previous criminal record with several arrests, while Martinez is on probation in Putnam County for a 2003 possession of cocaine conviction.
After their arrest Tuesday, they were booked into the Putnam County Jail. The DEA took possession of the cocaine.
The wholesale purchase price of $240,000 makes this biggest drug bust in Putnam County history.
“It is the largest seizure in one instance,” said Maj. Keith Riddick. “We’ve had multiple cases that were more n the one we just did in Marion, for instance n but as far as one transaction, 10 ‘keys’ is largest that we can recall.”
In addition to sheriff’s detectives and the DEA, the operation included support from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Riddick was quick to point out that the amount of drugs seized is feather in the cap, but his agency will make an arrest whether it’s a kilo of cocaine or one crack rock.
“We’ll take the single rock arrest Friday night or the 10 ‘key’ arrest we made yesterday,” he said. “All of these cases we work on. We keep going up the ladder.
“The whole idea is to follow the dope to its source and stop the source.”
Sheriff Dean Kelly said he was ecstatic with the outcome of the operation and praised the efforts of all the law enforcement agents involved.
“Such cases as this one are made possible because of the incomparable relationships that exist between the (sheriff’s office) and their federal law enforcement brothers,” he said.
Riddick said the investigation will continue and more arrests are expected
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