TOPEKA, KAN. – A Mexican man was indicted Wednesday on charges that he was stopped in Shawnee County with 34 pounds of methamphetamine in his car, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Luis Manuel Mojarro-Lopez, 33, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. An affidavit filed in the case alleges that on June 18 the defendant was driving a 2007 Ford Mustang when a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper pulled him over for running a stop sign on the I-70 eastbound exit ramp at Wanamaker.

A search of the vehicle turned up 34 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a false compartment behind the rear seat. Investigators learned Mojarro-Lopez was being paid $2,000 to drive the vehicle from Los Angeles to Kansas City, Kan. He was told to call his contact for further directions after he arrived in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs is prosecuting.