Morgan County deputies arrested two South Carolina men on weapons and drug charges on June 21 following a traffic stop on I-20.
Isaiah Hunter, 29, of Blythwood, has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and speeding (100 mph in a 70-mph zone). Okechi Ntiasagwe, 28, of Columbia, has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
According to reports, Deputy Kitchens clocked a blue Toyota Camry traveling westbound at 97 mph near milepost 121. He notified Deputy Cameron Ptak, who began following the vehicle as it increased its speed to 100, which Ptak confirmed with his RADAR unit.
Ptak turned on his blue lights and siren near milepost 117, and the Camry slowed to 60 mph but did not pull over.
When Kitchens approached, the Camry finally pulled over, and deputies positioned patrol units in front and behind it.
According to the reports, it took several commands to get the two men to roll down the windows, and when they did, the deputies smelled marijuana.
Ptak ordered the passenger, later identified as Ntiasagwe, out of the vehicle, and Kitchens did the same with Hunter.
Ptak handcuffed Ntiasagwe and put him in the back of his patrol unit to conduct a probable cause search of the vehicle.
When Ptak asked Ntiasagwe his name, he would not give one and said he didn’t know if he had identification.
It turned out the Camry was a rental registered to Ntiasagwe. Ptak also found a debit card with Ntiasagwe’s name on it, a passport, mail addressed to Ntiasawge, bags of dry cleaning, and a box of 9mm ammunition.
Ptak said he found an unlocked safe in the trunk containing more than $15,000 in cash wrapped in black rubber bands, “which is common with money that is associated with drug trafficking and drug dealers,” the report said. He also had three cell phones with him.
As the search continued, Ptak located a box containing eight bags of suspected marijuana in the trunk near Ntiasagwe’s personal items. More bags of marijuana were found in the passenger door where Ntiasagwe had been sitting.
It was determined that Hunter’s South Carolina driver’s license had been suspended and that he was wanted there.
The deputies believe the funds located in the vehicle are proceeds from illegal drug sales, according to the report. A seizure notice has been filed against the funds, and a firearm was recovered.