Cocaine was seized during a vehicle stop Tuesday on Interstate 295 in Gardiner. The cocaine was disguised to look like a cake, including coffee grounds sprinkled on top, according to police. Photo courtesy of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency
GARDINER — A New York City man and a Winslow woman were arrested Tuesday after police seized about 4 pounds of cocaine disguised as a cake during a vehicle stop on Interstate 295, according to officials.
John Cedeno, 25, and Chelsy Cochran, 33, were each arrested on a charge of aggravated trafficking in a schedule W drug, according to information released Wednesday by Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine State Police.
Moss said agents assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency’s South Central Task Force in Augusta received information this week that led them to believe Cedeno, also known as “Papers,” and Cochran would be traveling to Maine in an Audi owned by Cochran.
The car, driven by Cochran and with Cedeno as a passenger, was located Tuesday afternoon while traveling northbound on I-295. Police stopped the vehicle as it entered Gardiner.
A trained dog brought in by the state police detected the presence of drugs, and officers then found about 4 pounds of cocaine in the vehicle’s trunk, according to officials.
A photograph provided by police showed what police said was cocaine made to look like a cake in a store-brand plastic wrap.
In addition to the drugs, which police said had an estimated street value of $200,000, about $1,900 in cash was seized.
Cedeno and Cochran were taken to the Kennebec County Correctional Facility in Augusta. Bail was set at $750,000 for Cedeno and $50,000 for Cochran.
The MDEA was assisted in the investigation by Winslow and Maine state police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Police were still investigating the case Wednesday, with more arrests possible, according to Moss.
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