For further information please contact: Sergeant Dale H. Moreland
(573) 840-9500
121768
December 17, 2007


On December 15, 2007, at approximately 12:27 a.m. a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a 1997 Ford F-250 pickup truck traveling north on Interstate 55 in Pemiscot County for a signal violation.
The driver was identified as Maria E. Rodriguez, 45, of Haltom City, Texas. During the traffic stop, permission to search was requested and granted. A Highway Patrol K-9 was requested and responded to the scene. After the K-9 sniff, 48 bundles of marijuana were located in pieces of furniture being transported in the truck. Maria E. Rodriguez, the driver, Lorenzo Montalbo, 47, and Francisco J. Castaneda, 54, of Fort Worth Texas, both passengers, were arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and taken to the Pemiscot County Jail.
The charges for which Rodriguez, Montalbo, and Castaneda were arrested for are mere accusation and 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.



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