UNION GROVE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Two men are facing charges after over four pounds of cocaine was found in a vehicle during a traffic stop on I-77 near Union Grove last week, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said deputies pulled over a Toyota 4Runner for a traffic violation on southbound I-77 near mile marker 63 on Feb. 28.

While speaking with the driver, 28-year-old Jose Omar Perez Perdomo, and the passenger, 23-year-old Jose Ismael Rodriguez Martinez, the deputies said they noticed “signs of deceptive behavior.”

They called K9 “Brandi” who reportedly gave a positive alert on the vehicle for the presence of narcotics.

The deputies searched the vehicle and found two packages of cocaine inside, the sheriff’s office said. The cocaine weighed over 4.4 pounds and had a street value of $430,000.

Perdomo and Martinez were arrested and charged with felony trafficking cocaine by transport, felony trafficking cocaine by possession, and felony possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine.

Both were issued a $500,000 secured bond.

When the suspects were getting booked, authorities determined they were in the United States illegally.

“We continue to see the effects of our unsecured borders here in Iredell County daily and the impacts they cause our communities,” said Sheriff Darren Campbell. “Drugs such as this come in from across the border where the processing sites and super labs which manufacture these drugs and where they are transported from. For all intended purposes, we have become a border state here in North Carolina.”

A Federal Detainer was placed on both men and their case is under investigation.