Drug suspect who ran into traffic identified

A man killed last week when he ran into traffic on Interstate 15 after police discovered he was transporting several pounds of methamphetamine was identified Monday by the Clark County coroner’s office as Andrey Cordero Rojas, 29.

Las Vegas police said Cordero Rojas, of Norwalk, Conn., was handcuffed about 9 p.m. last Tuesday after a traffic stop and then ran from officers on northbound Interstate 15 near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Authorities said Cordero Rojas had been cooperating before he bolted into the left lane and stopped in front of the truck. He was killed instantly.

“We’re not sure what he was thinking,” Sgt. Richard Strader told the Review-Journal last week.

Strader is a supervisor with the Metropolitan Police Department’s fatal collision detail.

Police found 12 pounds of crystal meth valued at $300,000 in a hidden compartment of Cordero Rojas’ car.

The meth was coated with a substance designed to mask the odor from drug-sniffing dogs, police said.

Detectives think he was traveling from California to the East Coast.

Two passengers in the vehicle were interviewed by police and released. Police said the passengers were cooperative and probably did not know about the drugs.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating the death.

“It appears everything is pointing to a suicide rather than an accident,” trooper Jeremie Elliot said.

Elliot, however, said a final determination in the case will be made after the Clark County coroner releases its findings.

Marcus Martin, a spokesman for Las Vegas police, said his agency and several others are investigating the drug aspect of the incident.

The traffic stop was made by the Interdiction Team, a multi-agency task force made up of local and federal officers.

Last month, the Interdiction Team seized 452 pounds of cocaine worth more than $16 million.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.