Passenger charged after pounds of cocaine found in trunk of Uber car at Cleveland Hopkins

CLEVELAND — An Uber passenger was charged after 11 pounds of cocaine were found in a suitcase inside the trunk of an Uber vehicle leaving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, according to criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

On Tuesday, a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol pulled over a Mercedes sedan leaving the airport for a traffic violation at 13890 Brook Park Road, the complaint states.

During the traffic stop, a trooper used his narcotics detection K-9 to sniff the exterior of the sedan, which led to a positive detection of narcotics inside the Mercedes.

Troopers located a suitcase in the trunk which contained five kilogram-sized packages within the suitcase. The packages tested positive for cocaine.

While talking with the troopers, the driver was identified as a driver for the ride-sharing company Uber.

The Uber driver told authorities that Diontae Hill was his passenger. Hill allegedly left the airport and put a large roller suitcase inside the trunk of the Mercedes, the complaint alleges.

Troopers interviewed Hill who denied owning the cocaine and the suitcase. He was charged with the intent to distribute cocaine, according to the complaint.