COVINGTON - State police stopped an 18-wheeler for a routine traffic stop on I-12 Monday morning but ended up seizing over 120 pounds of cocaine.

Troopers became suspicious of criminal activity during the traffic stop and requested permission to search the vehicle, according to Louisiana State Police. During the search, officers found an amount of cocaine estimated to be worth $5.5 million. 

The two New York men, 32-year-old Melvin Contreras and 40-year-old Pedro Sarante, were booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on drug-related charges for possession of illegal narcotics.

According to state police, the case has been referred to federal authorities.