The Only Mercury Mariner In The World Worth Millions

Federal agents seized more than 65 pounds of cocaine hidden in a Florida-registered Mercury Mariner SUV on Grand Island late last week, according to U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. A drug-sniffing K-9 unit was brought in and alerted to the Mercury’s cargo area, where police found bricks of cocaine worth over $1 million.

The bust was one of the largest local drug seizures “in quite some time,” Kennedy said.

A North Tonawanda man, Edgar Joel Jimenez-Rodriguez, 38, was arrested by investigators after he got into the SUV Thursday evening. The vehicle was unloaded by a car hauler at the Fuccillo Toyota dealership on Alvin Road but the driver of the car hauler does not face any charges at this time. Investigators believe the Toyota dealership had no involvement in the case.

Jimenez-Rodriguez pulled up to the dealership in a Honda Accord as the vehicles were unloaded from the hauler. Once the Mercury Mariner was unloaded, Jimenez-Rodriguez got into the SUV and left the parking lot. He was later stopped by officers, who observed plastic sticking out of the rear end of the vehicle.

He faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. That charge carries a minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.