On the night of Wednesday, May 18, 2022, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) sergeant initiated a traffic stop on a 2017 Volvo commercial motor vehicle with a commercial trailer on eastbound Interstate 8 at milepost 107, west of Gila Bend.
During the traffic stop, the sergeant observed multiple indicators of criminal activity. Following a positive alert by an AZDPS narcotics detection canine, the sergeant located 144.6 pounds of suspected cocaine concealed in the truck’s sleeper-berth closet.
The suspect driver, 36-year-old Albi Naska, and his passenger, 36-year-old Victor Nikitin, both residents of Ontario, Canada, were arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges including possession, transportation, and sale of a narcotic drug.