By Pat Culverhouse

A Minden police officer noticed the odor of marijuana inside a vehicle during an I-20 traffic stop, but what he eventually smelled out now has two men in the custody of federal agents.

Chief of Police Jared McIver said during the investigation into the traffic stop, 33-year-old Gabriele Gargiulo and 44-year-old Luca Pariggiano, both residents of Houston, Texas, were found to be in possession of a large quantity of falsely trademarked electronic devices.

Following their arrest, Minden police learned both men were the subject of holds issued by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). One of the men was also reportedly on an FBI watch list. Both men reportedly were picked up Tuesday morning by HSI agents.

Officer Kendale Booker had stopped the pair for traffic violations on I-20 just before 6 p.m. Monday and learned Pariggiano, the driver, did not possess a valid driver’s license.

While questioning the occupants, the officer reportedly noticed a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. When asked, Gargiulo reportedly admitted there was marijuana inside. A search reportedly uncovered approximately 14 grams of marijuana and a grinder commonly used to process the substance.

A further search of the vehicle uncovered approximately $10,000 in falsely trademarked Apple products, including AirPods Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max devices. Further investigation revealed the Apple phones were actually Android when activated.

Several other electronic items reportedly were also found, along with approximately $5,000 in U.S. currency, which is believed to be proceeds from the sale of the falsely trademarked items.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.