A traffic stop for speeding in a construction zone led to the arrests of two men and the discovery of 8 pounds of marijuana in Cleburne County.
The stop happened about 4:45 p.m. Monday when a Heflin police officer spotted a Toyota Camry driving westbound Interstate 20. As the officer approached the vehicle, he noticed an overwhelming masking another odor come from inside the car.
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He spoke to the driver, 33-year-old Reginald Gates, who admitted to the officer he was speeding, but told the officer he thought it was at a slower speed. Gates said he and his passenger, 34-year-old Jaquay Liggion of California, were heading to Anniston to see friends.
Liggion initially gave police a false name, authorities said. Once the officer checked both men through law enforcement databases, he called for backup. Police didn’t say what they found on the database search.
When the officer asked Gates for permission to search the car, Gates refused and suggested police bring in a drug-sniffing dog. They did just that.
The police dog, “Jedi” performed a free air sniff of the car, and hit on the left rear corner panel, the rear of the car and underneath the car, indicating the presence or trace of illegal drugs by “staring at the officer” and then lying down.
The officer carried out a probably cause search, finding a large white trash bag in the trunk that contained eight gallon-sized zip lock bags with a green leafy substance inside. They also found a semi-automatic pistol in a book bag next to the marijuana.
Both men are charged with trafficking marijuana. Their bond is set at $1 million each.
