USA - Officials seize 1,000's of Ecstasy pills, 100 lbs. of marijuana

[Quantum Dude]

A search of a trailer and a warehouse early Friday, along with information obtained during a traffic stop the night before, led law enforcement officials to seize nearly 100,000 Ecstasy pills and 100 pounds of marijuana, according to a District Court of Maryland for Frederick County document.

Two suspects were identified by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force. One of the suspects was Canadian truck driver Mario D. Plourde, 45, according to the court document dated Friday.

Plourde, identified as the driver of a trailer parked outside of a warehouse where the drugs were found, was charged with possession and intent to distribute a large amount of a controlled dangerous substance and importing a controlled dangerous substance into the state, according to the court document.

Plourde's attorney, Bethesda-based Robin Ficker, said the charges were unfounded.

Police found his client in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, Ficker said.

"There were no drugs on him. No drugs at all. And then they end up charging this guy (Plourde) with possession of drugs."

Plourde, who is from Quebec, was driving a 2007 Peterbuilt truck with Ontario registration, he said.

According to the court document, a traffic stop in the 200 block of South Jefferson Street led to the drug bust. A vehicle driven by Bruno Bendo, 23, of Quebec, was stopped for a traffic infraction at 9:30 p.m. Thursday by Deputy First Class Daniel Schlosser of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

Through an investigation, about 110,000 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine pills, or "Ecstasy" pills, were seized, but it is not clear in the court document where the pills were found.

Based on information provided by Bendo, a trailer and a warehouse in the 200 block of Buckheimer Road in Frederick City were identified and a search warrant was issued, according to the court document.

At about 3:30 a.m. Friday, during the search, the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force found about 104 pounds of marijuana in the warehouse. Packaging materials and a heat sealer were also seized, according to the document.

Michael Cartner, a Maryland State Trooper on the narcotics task force, wrote a statement of probable cause.

"Based on my training ... I was able to deduce that the suspect was involved in the illegal manufacturing and/or distribution of CDS (controlled dangerous substance). This was based on the concealment methods of the CDS, the extremely large quantity of the CDS, and the statement made by both of the suspects," Cartner wrote in the statement.

Ficker doesn't see any connection between his client and the drugs.

"He wasn't found at the warehouse. He wasn't found with Bendo. Here's another thing: he has no arrest record whatsoever," Ficker said.

Plourde has been a truck driver for years, Ficker said.

"He's a nice guy. He delivers lamp posts ... and now the guy's probably going to spend Christmas in jail," Ficker said.

Plourde is in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center on $250,000 bond, according to Victoria Elliott, a District Court commissioner. Bail was set at $750,000 on Friday, but Monday was reduced to $250,000 by a Frederick County District Court judge.

Information on Bendo was not obtained by press time.


http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sec...?StoryID=84322

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for sharing the news.

[Hydramine]

Cops: "Hey I see a drunk dri..... HOLY F'KEN SH'T A MAN WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE POSESSING DRUGS!!!! LETS BUST HIM!!!"

Such is the story of modern society...