For further information please contact: Sergeant Dale H. Moreland
(573) 840-9500
073039
July 30, 2007

EMPHASIS: Traffic Stop On I -55 Results In Drug Arrest




On July 13, 2007, at approximately 7:44 p.m. a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a 1994 Chevrolet 1500 pickup traveling north in Interstate 55 at the 52-mile marker in New Madrid County for improper lane usage.

The driver, Jose A. Gonzales, 21, of Fort Odessa, Texas, was stopped for improper lane usage. As the trooper spoke to the driver he asked for and received consent to search. The search revealed 26 bundles of marijuana located inside the spare tire stowed under the bed of the truck. During a K-9 sniff at the Troop E Service Center in Sikeston, MO, the K-9 alerted on the vehicle and a subsequent search revealed 10 bundles of marijuana concealed in the wall behind the driver and passenger seats. Gonzales and Manuel V. Gaitan, 24, also of Odessa, Texas, were arrested for possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute and taken to the New Madrid County Jail.

The charges for which Jose A. Gonzales and Manuel V. Gaitan 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.



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