News Release



For further information please contact:

Sgt. Kent Casey

417-359-1500 ext. 2229

DS033106

March 31, 2006



EMPHASIS: Patrol Seizes Cocaine and PCP at Joplin Weigh Station





On March 30, 2006, at approximately 8:11 p.m., a Missouri State Highway Patrol commercial vehicle enforcement officer at the scale house on Interstate 44 at the three-mile marker in Newton County stopped an eastbound tractor-trailer unit for a routine inspection. The commercial vehicle officer determined there were several violations, and noted inconsistencies in the stories of the truck driver and passenger. At that time, he summoned the assistance of a trooper. Officers from the Newton County Sheriff’s Department also arrived at the scale house to assist.



The driver, Marzett L. Parker, 35, of Fontana, CA, was found to have a suspended driver’s license and an incomplete driver’s daily logbook. Several other commercial vehicle violations were also detected. A computer check of the passenger, Odell M. Edwards, 36, of San Francisco, CA, revealed a felony warrant issued for his arrest due to a parole violation.



The obvious violations and inconsistencies prompted the trooper to ask for consent to search the vehicle, which the driver granted. Officers conducting the search located approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine and approximately 40 gallons of liquid phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, hidden within the tractor-trailer. This is the largest recorded seizure of PCP in the United States.

Marzett L. Parker and Odell M. Edwards were arrested for multiple violations, including felony second-degree drug trafficking, and transported to the Newton County Jail.



The charges for which Parker and Edwards 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 it is to determine guilt or innocence.