60-pound cocaine bust dwarfs what Sioux Falls police normally seize in a year

Annie Todd
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Cocaine recovered from a drug bust by the Sioux Falls Police Department

Sioux Falls police and the South Dakota Highway Patrol seized possibly the largest amount of cocaine in recent history during a drug seizure on Tuesday evening, according to the police.

Two men were arrested Tuesday with nearly 63 pounds of cocaine, a gun and legers full of transactions on them, according to court documents. 

"This is a large amount of cocaine especially for Sioux Falls," Sam Clemens, a spokesperson for the Sioux Falls Police Department said. 

Between one to four pounds of cocaine have been seized in the past five years, Clemens said. In 2019, four and a half pounds of cocaine were seized while under a pound of the drug was seized in 2020. 

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The investigation into the cocaine trafficking started last year and police received a tip that drugs were being transported to Sioux Falls on Tuesday, Clemens said. Highway Patrol, working with the drug taskforce, stopped the car at 12th Street and Kiwanis Avenue.

Lennin Robles Parra, 34, and Isaias Santos, 29, both from Houston, Texas, were arrested and booked into the county jail. Both men are being held on $500,000 cash-only bonds.

It's unclear if the drugs were meant for distribution in Sioux Falls or if they were just passing through, Clemens said. 

While police normally seize marijuana and meth, large cocaine seizures can be rare.

"Cocaine hasn't been one of those commonly seen drugs," Clemens said.

The investigation remains ongoing. 

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