Handwritten Tag, Expired Registration Leads To Cocaine Arrest of Semi Driver In Escambia County

July 30, 2026

A California truck driver was arrested in Escambia County after an agricultural inspection led to the discovery of cocaine inside his semi-truck.

Officers with the Florida Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) arrested Mukesh Mani, 30, on a felony cocaine charge. According to authorities, Mani was driving a semi-truck and trailer that displayed a handwritten tag with no state designation. A registration check revealed the trailer’s registration had expired in 2021.

The standard agricultural inspection escalated when OALE K-9 Officer Thomas deployed narcotics detection dog K-9 Mojo to conduct a free-air sniff around the exterior of the semi tractor. K-9 Mojo gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics, which provided officers with probable cause to search the cab.

During the search of the interior, officers uncovered a tube containing a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.

Mani was taken into custody and transported to the Escambia County Jail. He was released on a $2,500 bond.

Comments

2 Responses to “Handwritten Tag, Expired Registration Leads To Cocaine Arrest of Semi Driver In Escambia County”

  1. kane on July 30th, 2026 10:55 am

    Are we the only state with a weigh station? How did no other state from here to California catch this? Was he only a local driver that didn’t leave the state or has the number of truck drivers reached an all-time low that we have to scrape the bottom of the proverbial barrel?

  2. JR on July 30th, 2026 5:58 am

    What a waste just to let him bond out! Won’t see this guy again.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News