ROSE CITY — The largest “pill stop” in a 13 county area recently happened right here in Orange County. About 84 pounds of ecstasy was seized during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 10.
“This is the largest pill stop in all 13 counties of Southeast Texas,” said Officer Tracy Sorge, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Special Services Division. “The street value of the drugs is $4.2 million.”
The second largest “pill stop” was in 2000 by Sgt. Joey Jacobs who netted 57 pounds of drugs.
Sorge and Keith Reneau of the Pinehurst Police Department were working criminal interdiction on the westbound lane of Interstate 10 near milemarker 857 in Rose City when they noticed the suspect’s vehicle.
A 2008 Toyota Scion was seen weaving through traffic along with other traffic violations. They pulled the vehicle over and after talking to the driver, asked for a consent to search the vehicle. However, the 37-year-old Houston man denied access to the vehicle.
So, they contacted Deputy Russell Hall to bring his narcotics dog, Shadow, to the scene. A “free air” search was conducted and the dog made a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. As the result, they were able to have probable cause to search the vehicle. Officers located the 84 pounds of drugs in the rear cargo area and $7,000 in cash, according to Sorge.
The man was then transported to the Orange County Jail. However, the case has been adopted by federal officials. If convicted the man faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2613, or dschamber@orangeleader.com
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