The driver of the vehicle failed to yield after the deputy activated his emergency lights and siren. The vehicle later exited Interstate-8 at Thornton Road and turned southbound. The vehicle accelerated up to 95 mph and then turned west onto Shedd Road which is the Central Arizona Project Canal Road.
The vehicle slowed and became stuck in some rocks. The driver’s side door of the vehicle opened and the driver fled. The passenger side doors opened and the two passengers exited as well and ran. The deputy cleared the vehicle and then chased after the driver and was able to take him into custody.
The two passengers ran approximately two miles through the desert and then attempted to hide but were located by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Air Unit. The two passengers were taken into the custody. The two passengers admitted they were in the United States illegally. They were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol for deportation.
Inside of the vehicle, deputies located 302 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $226,500. The vehicle was a rental vehicle from Hertz Rental Car.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as Trinidad Cordova-Villena (age 28 of Mexico). He was arrested and booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center for Felony Flight, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana for Sale and Transportation of Marijuana.
Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “Cordova showed he has no regard for the safety of other drivers on the roadway. While this current administration says those who enter into the United States from Mexico are only coming for a better life, these cases are a constant reminder that is not true and why we need to secure our southern border. This year alone our office seized 65,760 pounds of marijuana worth over $49,320,000 and over 19 kilos of both cocaine and methamphetamines. Last year, we led a multi-agency investigation which seized weapons, drugs and cash from the Sinaloa Drug Cartel and has been labeled as one of the largest in state history.”