Troopers stopped a 2012 Dodge 2500 pick-up truck with a Washington registration at 9:03 a.m. Thursday for following too closely on the Turnpike near milepost 121 near Milan.
Troopers smelled raw marijuana and performed a search of the vehicle, which revealed eight large dufflebags containing 353 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $1,588,500.
Thomas J. Whitlow, 30, of Minneapolis, Minn, Kenneth C. Coffin, 54, and Lucas D. Franz, 33, both of Seattle. Wash., were arrested and booked into the Erie County jail. They're charged with drug trafficking and possession of drugs, both second-degree felonies. If convicted, each could face up to 16 years in prison and up to a $30,000 fine.
Comments
They should sell it in Washington or Colorado, Erie County could use the revenue.
Or bake it into brownies and chill out the whole county for the holidays !
Pizza sales would sky rocket !
way to go O.S.P.. keep up the good work guys & gals.
WOW! It would be wild to see a dash cam of their faces when the lights went on knowing they had almost a quarter ton of pot on board!
I need a new Dodge, when does it go up for sale :)
Bad work osp
Yes it might be good these guys found the dope, BUT all of us innocent people that are pulled over and treated aweful when they are on their hunting adventures is just wrong. Maybe some of us go to work or are getting off work at 3 am and should not be stopped over and over. And I'm still not so sure they are using some kind of infrared equipment to find the stuff. I don't trust these guys at all.
I love how they always pull them over for following too close and then find drugs. I would not be surprised if they did have some form of detection equipment other than the nose. MAKE IT LEGEL AND TAX IT
It's called illegal wiretapping. Privacy is a myth!
me and I know a lot of people better going to be very upset with these people they just don't know how bad. And now they're gonna have to face the music when you go to court. I hope the judge isn't lenient and they get the full extent of the law late on them
what??
it's way past time to legalize, on both state and federal levels.
See? If it were legalized across the country, the Fed gov't would be subsidizing and taxing it, these three guys would be home for Christmas and the troopers might have busted a rapist or murderer heading in the other direction. We'll never know.
Agreed
Following to close on the turnpike? If you believe that.............
Great job OSP! I don't know what Sports Fan is talking about because I get off at 3am also and I haven't been pulled over in years. Maybe it's your driving!
16 years for pot... but molest a child and recieve less than a year or probation.. yea..
Ok the pot is from here in WA it is really great stuff, that should sell in your neighborhood for about $25 a gram.
353pounds = 5648 ounces which = 158144grams
158144grams x $25 = $ 3,953,600.00
4 million is a big difference between the reported 1.5 million
could have been a lot of tax revenue, now it will cost your state untold amounts.
Hmm! Up on the price structure I see. Next, LOL
What amazes me is that every time smugglers are caught it's because of some minor traffic infraction like following too close. If I were smuggling drugs I'd be going the speed limit and obeying all traffic laws not trying to stand out. Do they get less money for not getting there in time? Now they get no money and jail time.
Reporter,
You are on the money. Following to closely, tail light out, I mean come on now. Who are these morons.. Well they are smuggling drugs soo they are pretty much a moron already.
Criminal marijuana prohibition is a failure. Over 20 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana offenses since 1965. The time has come to amend criminal prohibition and replace it with a system of legalization, taxation, regulation, and education.
It sucks these guys got 'caught' with a safe substance.
In most cases the cops say that "Suspected" Marijuana or cocaine was confiscated. In this case they not only say it's marijuana but grown hydroponically. Yep, You can bet they were acting on a tip and just waiting for them. The "Dopes" that were arrrested should easily figure out who turned them in but then again, maybe they are not all that smart.
In Ohio, support for legal marijuana is strongest among Democrats (57 percent for legalization), African-Americans (60 percent) and people ages 18 to 29 (65 percent).