Two men believed to be major suppliers of cocaine in Kosciusko County were arrested Wednesday afternoon after an investigation by the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force.
Shortly after 3 p.m., Ismael Rodriguez, also known as Paramon Rodriguez, 37, of 1202 Wooster Road, Winona Lake, and Jose Andrade, 44, Port Chester, N.Y., were booked into the Kosciusko County Jail. Both were charged with dealing cocaine/narcotics and are being held on $20,000 bond.According to the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force, an informant reportedly set up the purchase of four "8-balls" (an eighth of an ounce) of cocaine from Rodriguez and Andrade.
The purchase was made in the parking lot of a local restaurant.
After the purchase, Warsaw city police officers conducted a traffic stop and arrested both Rodriguez and Andrade.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found the drug task force buy money as well as with other money. No other drugs were found in the car at the time of the search.
The men reportedly were able to supply the cocaine fairly quickly after the deal was set up. This leads officers from the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force to believe the men could be major suppliers of drugs in Kosciusko County.
Anyone with information about illegal drug activity in Kosciusko County should contact the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force at 574-372-2494.
