Custer County investigators stumbled across a major drug find this week, but not in a way most people would imagine.
A sport utility vehicle on loan from a drug task force concealed a sizable marijuana stash that had previously gone undetected, said Custer County Sheriff Bruce Peoples. The drugs hidden inside might have stayed that way had it not been for the fact that the SUV kept running out of gas.
"We got tired of filling it up every day or two," Peoples said.
Sheriff's deputies found that when they'd fill it up, it would only take eight gallons. The SUV's tank, however, has a capacity of more than 22 gallons.
A closer look at the gas tank showed that it had been modified. Once dismantled on Wednesday, deputies found more than 75 pounds of marijuana hidden inside, investigators said.
Gas tank find doubles drug seizure
The SUV was initially seized by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in a Feb. 15 traffic stop near Clinton. Troopers found what was believed to be 80 pounds of marijuana hidden in the vehicle, said Larry Damron, spokesman for the District 2 Drug Task Force based in Elk City.
The task force took possession of the SUV, then loaned it to the Custer County sheriff's office. It was being used in undercover work by sheriff's deputies.
But it didn't take long for the fuel problem to arise. Further examination of the gas tank showed that it had been modified to hide the work that had been done, Peoples said. The tank's exterior had been sprayed with a powdery substance, then painted to look like caked-on mud. Once the tank was taken apart, deputies found the second drug stash, making the total haul nearly double that of what was originally found.
"Outsiders probably don't think about it, but there's so many compartments built in (a vehicle) where things can be stashed," Damron said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: NewsOK.com
Author: BOB DOUCETTE
Copyright: 2010 NewsOK.com
A sport utility vehicle on loan from a drug task force concealed a sizable marijuana stash that had previously gone undetected, said Custer County Sheriff Bruce Peoples. The drugs hidden inside might have stayed that way had it not been for the fact that the SUV kept running out of gas.
"We got tired of filling it up every day or two," Peoples said.
Sheriff's deputies found that when they'd fill it up, it would only take eight gallons. The SUV's tank, however, has a capacity of more than 22 gallons.
A closer look at the gas tank showed that it had been modified. Once dismantled on Wednesday, deputies found more than 75 pounds of marijuana hidden inside, investigators said.
Gas tank find doubles drug seizure
The SUV was initially seized by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in a Feb. 15 traffic stop near Clinton. Troopers found what was believed to be 80 pounds of marijuana hidden in the vehicle, said Larry Damron, spokesman for the District 2 Drug Task Force based in Elk City.
The task force took possession of the SUV, then loaned it to the Custer County sheriff's office. It was being used in undercover work by sheriff's deputies.
But it didn't take long for the fuel problem to arise. Further examination of the gas tank showed that it had been modified to hide the work that had been done, Peoples said. The tank's exterior had been sprayed with a powdery substance, then painted to look like caked-on mud. Once the tank was taken apart, deputies found the second drug stash, making the total haul nearly double that of what was originally found.
"Outsiders probably don't think about it, but there's so many compartments built in (a vehicle) where things can be stashed," Damron said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: NewsOK.com
Author: BOB DOUCETTE
Copyright: 2010 NewsOK.com
