ST. TAMMANY PARISH - Deputies arrested an Alabama man Thursday night after finding over 50 pounds of cocaine in his truck.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office says deputies pulled 37-year-old Fabian De La Cruz Gonzales over around 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, near I-12 in Slidell.

Authorities say Gonzales granted both verbal and written consent to search the vehicle.

"While searching the vehicle, the deputy located 20 prepackaged bundles of suspected cocaine, yielding an approximate weight of 54.2 pounds. The cocaine was concealed in a hidden compartment, which was built into the bottom of an unlocked tool box in the bed of the truck," the sheriff's department said.

Authorities also confiscated nearly $11,000 from Gonzales, which is believed to be proceeds of narcotics sales.

Gonzales told authorities that he was traveling from Houston to his home in Birmingham.

Gonzalez was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail for improper lane usage, driving without a license, possession with intent to distribute, and transactions involving proceeds from drug sales.