Another big drug bust in Scioto County. Just a week after the Ohio State Patrol made a huge meth bust on US 23, they scored an even bigger stash of illegal drugs, this time on Route 823.
The bust happened just after midnight on July 20. Officers stopped a Chrysler with Michigan plates for a marked lanes violation. Officers spotted a small amount of what looked like cocaine right there on the driver’s seat. Troopers also said they could smell marijuana pretty strongly.
They executed a probable cause warrant and turned up some pretty valuable drugs. Officers seized 202 grams of cocaine and 240 grams of fentanyl worth approximately $44,200.
The two people the vehicle were both from Detroit. Driver Promise D. Hollings, 27, and passenger, Kacey D. Banks, 28, were incarcerated in the Scioto County Jail and charged with possession of cocaine and trafficking in drugs.
$16,000 In Meth
Just last week, Ohio State Troopers seized close to $16,000 in methamphetamine during a traffic stop on U.S. 23. OSHP officers said they made the stop last week after a 2006 Toyota Camry violated marked lane traffic rules.
According to the report, while officers were interacting with the female driver and her male passenger, they noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. That’s when they conducted a probable cause search. But it wasn’t pot that police turned up in the vehicle. Officers found 158 grams of methamphetamine (that’s about 5.5 ounces).
That may not sound like a lot but that much meth is worth close to $16,000. According to the Ohio State Patrol, the street value is $15,800.
The driver was 21-year-old Ebony J. Cannedy, 21. Galvin L. Bowden, 22, was her passenger. The pair aren’t local residents. According to court records, they are both from the Dayton area. However, they will be spending some time in our area. They’re both currently guests of the Scioto County Jail.
Both are charged possession of methamphetamine, a second-degree felony. If convicted, each could face up to eight years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.
They appeared in Portsmouth Municipal Court last week. Attorneys were appointed for both defendants and their cases were waived to the grand jury. That means there is the possibility that additional charges could be filed.
Big Heroin Bust
The Route 23 bust wasn’t the only big score by OSP on traffic stop recently. Back on July 9, a traffic stop in Erie County netted troopers $27,000 worth of heroin.
Troopers stopped a vehicle with New York plates for following too close and lane change violations on the Ohio Turnpike. A drug-sniffing K9 officer alerts troopers to the contraband. The driver, Elmer Lebron Novas, 23, New York, and passenger, Jefri Leyba, 25, Grand Rapids, were charged with possession and trafficking in heroin, both first-degree felonies. If convicted, each could face up to 22 years in prison and up to a $40,000 fine.
