United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Cucamonga, California, man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after a state trooper found 165 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle.

Rafael Solis, 30, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Solis on Nov. 30, 2022, which charged him with the same offense.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped Solis, who was driving a Nissan Armanda rental vehicle on Interstate 44 in Greene County, Mo., on Nov. 29, 2022. The trooper found three large moving boxes in the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle that contained approximately 165 pounds of methamphetamine. A small amount of personal use cocaine and marijuana were also found in the vehicle.

Solis told investigators he had picked up the rental vehicle in California and was driving to Chicago.

The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.