Two Illegal Immigrants Arrested On Drug Charges In Lake Charles

A woman is behind bars and another is in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol following a traffic stop Friday in Calcasieu Parish.

Deputies there say they pulled over an SUV near Lake Charles on the I-10 loop. During the course of the traffic stop, police say the two women, who also had an 18-month-old child with them, began acting suspiciously.

After obtaining permission to search the vehicle, police found 90 grams of compressed cocaine wrapped in cellophane hidden within several layers of gloves and stashed inside a coffee canister. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $9,000, police say.

It was also discovered during the course of the investigation that the two women were in the country illegally.

Laba Guardado-Rivera was booked into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center on various drug charges. Her bond was set at $217,500. The other woman, Vilma Guardado-Rivera, was taken into custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.