A Morgan County deputy and an agent with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) Division of the Department of Motor Vehicles conducted a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer on Sept. 12 that resulted in the seizure of 155 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of a father and son on marijuana trafficking charges.
According to the report, Sgt. Bo Kelly was patrolling in the area of Hwy 441 and Eatonton Road when he stopped the tractor-trailer for having a faulty brake light.
While Kelly had the truck stopped, Chasen Woodie of CVE pulled up and offered to do a Level 2 inspection of the truck.
According to Captain Dylan Hines of the MCSO, CVE agents can conduct searches of commercial vehicles at any time due to laws governing commerce on public roadways.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was identified as Leonel Rocher, 47, of Haines City, Fla. When Woodie asked him to provide his driver logs, Rocher didn’t seem to know how to produce them. This raised suspicions, according to Hines, so a complete search of the trailer was conducted.
When the trailer was opened, Kelly and Woodie could smell marijuana coming from inside.
Kelly found seven containers of marijuana weighing 155 pounds, including five vacuum-sealed trash bags and two boxes. The marijuana was packaged in 155 bags weighing one pound each, according to Hines. The marijuana was then seized and loaded onto Investigator Joseph Pritchett’s patrol for transport to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.
Sine said the trailer was still loaded with a U-Haul container and other items, including a Jeep SUV. The trailer was towed to the sheriff’s office for further investigation.
Rocher and his son Samy, who was asleep in the cab of the truck when the traffic stop was made, were both charged with trafficking marijuana.
Hines and Morgan County Sheriff Tyler Hooks praised the work of Deputy Kelly and recognized the excellent relationship that has developed between the sheriff’s office and the CVE.
According to Hooks, removing the drugs from the market saves lives because drug transactions often go awry, resulting in violent solutions.
Hines said the marijuana had an approximate street value of $150,000.