According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA, more drugs are finding its way to Sioux Falls because of drug runners who hop on I-29 and bring it in from Sioux City.

The DEA anticipates that seizures along Interstates 90 and 29, both for drugs and drug money, will increase with the more frequent use by traffickers. Agent Rich Mulholland says that both Interstates have long been a problem and they're actively working with the South Dakota Highway Patrol to curb it.

For more than a decade, trooper Chris Koltz has been cruising the Interstate and looking for drugs. Much of his job is spent making traffic stops, but with police service dog Roman, his primary focus is finding illegal substances. The Highway Patrol granted Action News singular access to ride along with Koltz, as he searches for drug traffickers.

The day begins by traveling south from Sioux Falls on I-29. After just one traffic stop, a dispatch operator calls for backup. Miles away in the far western stretches of Minnehaha County, another trooper made a traffic stop. He would need help.

Koltz hits the road and soon arrives on the scene. Authorities had stopped the vehicle for speeding, but Koltz combs through the car and finds a small amount of pot. Among other charges, the driver is arrested for possession of marijuana. Koltz takes a second person, the passenger, into his squad for questioning.

Of the process, he later said, "And through that interview, found out a few more things about the illegal drugs and about the drinking and everything that lead prior to the actual arrest."

Koltz says the passenger had drug paraphernalia on him. Many times, he says it's these kind of simple traffic stops that often lead to seizures. His biggest find came in 2004 when he pulled over this truck for expired plates. Inside, he found 700 pounds of marijuana.

A year later, his dog indicated there were drugs in truck pulled over for speeding and not staying in the lane of travel. After further inspection, he opened a whole compartment underneath the bed of the truck. It was so full of cocaine, it looked like a sandbox. 

Koltz and Roman are one of 12 K-9 units geographically spread across the state. On an average day, he makes around ten traffic stops. Many times, those stops might prevent drugs from making it into Sioux Falls.

But according to the DEA, marijuana is often shipped via express mail from Sioux City and up to Sioux Falls. U.S. Postal Inspectors scan U.S. Mail and flag authorities when they suspect drugs are being shipped.

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