News Release



For further information please contact:

Sergeant Martin K. Elmore

(417) 469-3121

G-02061

February 10, 2006



EMPHASIS: Traffic Stop Results in Drug Arrests





On February 03, 2006, at 7:49 p.m., a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper initiated a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 60, approximately one mile west of Willow Springs. The vehicle was a 1992 Kenworth tractor pulling a car transport trailer, which was loaded with nine passenger cars.



In the course of the enforcement contact, the officer became suspicious and asked for assistance from the West Plains Police Department who dispatched a K-9 unit to the scene. The canine alerted on two of the passenger cars, a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix and a 1998 Ford Mustang. A subsequent search of the two vehicles revealed them to contain 93 pounds of marijuana and 6 pounds of cocaine.



With the assistance of officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, the South Central Drug Task Force, Cook County Illinois Sheriff’s Department, and the St. Louis Police Department, a controlled delivery was conducted to St. Louis, Missouri and Harvey, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. As a result, three individuals were arrested on charges of felony drug trafficking: Allen L. Moore, 28, St. Louis, Missouri; Maurice E. Crowder, 35, Hazelcrest, Illinois; and Charome C Watkins, 29, Harvey, Illinois. Subsequent investigation revealed that the driver of the transport truck, which was owned by a private cartage company, was not involved.

The combined approximate street value of drugs seized during this incident was $900,000 for the cocaine and $200,000 for the marijuana.



The charges for which these individuals were arrested are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.