Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man With Cocaine In Trunk

A federal grand jury this week indicted a St. Louis man accused of having more than $1 million worth of cocaine in his car when he was stopped on Interstate 55 near Bloomington.

Larry Bentley Jr., 39, faces a charge of possession of more than 5 kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was ordered held in custody of the U.S. marshals pending his Dec. 13 trial before U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm.

Bloomington police have said the street value of 15 pounds of cocaine is about $1.5 million, making it the largest cocaine seizure by the department.

Bentley was arrested Oct. 14. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, an officer saw Bentley's car cross the fog line on the right side of the road about 12:30 a.m., prompting the officer to pull over the car.

Bentley said he was passing through on his way home from Chicago. A few misstatements and seeing the car's spare tire in the back seat made the officer suspicious, the complaint states.

A police dog was brought to the scene and picked up the scent of drugs. Officers found a compartment in the car's trunk where the spare tire would normally sit. Inside the compartment was 15 packages of cocaine.

Also indicted this week were:

- William P. Hill, 26, of Loami: armed bank robbery.

- Tamara L. Powell, 32, of Galesburg: possession of pseudophedrine pills with the intent to make methamphetamine.

- Christopher L. Porter, 26, of Bloomington: possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.