(BERLIN, MD) -- A recent traffic stop by a Maryland state trooper in Worcester County led to the recovery of more than 350 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of the driver who was transporting it.
The suspect is identified as Donald P. Gayle, 54, of New Brunswick, NJ. After consultation with the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, Gayle was charged by Maryland State Police with importation of a controlled dangerous substance into the state, possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, and possession of marijuana. He was incarcerated in the Worcester County Detention Center on $650,000 bond.
The investigation began shortly before 4:30 p.m. on December 30, 2012. A trooper from the Berlin Barrack was on the slow shoulder of southbound Rt. 113, north of Germantown Road, near Berlin. He was stopped in his unmarked patrol vehicle, but had his emergency red and blue lights activated, which were visible to passing traffic.
The trooper observed a Toyota Sienna van pass his patrol car and fail to move over into an available lane, which is a violation of the state’s move over law. The trooper stopped the van for the violation on southbound Rt. 113 south of Germantown Road.
During contact with the driver and only occupant of the van, later identified as Gayle, the trooper observed a number of factors that indicated criminal activity may have been underway. A Berlin Police Department officer who was nearby stopped as a backup, while the trooper called for a State Police drug dog team to respond.
A trooper and drug dog quickly responded and conducted a canine scan. The drug dog gave a positive alert for the presence of drugs.
Troopers then conducted a probable cause search of the van. They recovered five large nylon duffel bags, which each contained three large cellophane wrapped packages of suspected marijuana. The combined weight of the 15 packages of marijuana was more than 350 pounds.
Gayle was placed under arrest and taken to the Berlin Barrack for processing. Contact was made with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations task force and an agent responded to assist. Also assisting was a member of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team.
The investigation is continuing.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
8 comments:
Way to go! Keep the pressure on em! Love to read about safe drug bust. Congrats for a good day at work, and a safe return home at the end of the shift.
Let me start by saying I don't smoke pot. Numerous stated have legalized it and it doesn't pose a significant safety issue. Why bother? There are many more serious crimes in Berlin/OC/Salisbury that resources should be allocated to rather than shopping someone passing through the area.
Ugh...350lbs of pot is a serious crime! Wow...guess they should be giving out seatbelt tickets!
300 pound being put in an evidence locker is a lot.
I wonder if all 250 pounds will have to be taken to court during the trial?
I would like to be there when all200pounds is destoried.
Let me start by saying that I totally %100 agree with 7:07...Overall, the drug war is a failure and a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. This van was probably a decoy and, the real shipment rolled by in 18 wheeler.
Outstanding job! Keep locking these morons up!
Yep. Keep up the tremendous waste of OUR money. Heroic efforts. May even get to shoot some unarmed people and apply for Trooper of the Year. In the meantime, NOTHING has changed. Nothing. The price of pot has went DOWN in the last few months. Not a single person - not one -- woke up this morning and said "oh NO! they busted someone for 350 lbs of pot!! I gotta stop selling this stuff!". BUT, I'll bet you that somewhere, some politician woke up thinking how rich he could make his brother-in-law if he could just get another prison built in his county. It's much less about crime than it is keeping 400,000 (armed) cops employed chasing their tail around everyday, complimenting each other on their heroism and acting like they are accomplishing ANYTHING, except career advancement, and bursitis from patting each other on the back. It was probably 500 pounds, too. But 150 of it didn't make it back to the evidence room. You take it from there....
BOOOORRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!
So what? It may be a big deal to the squeaky clean 21 year old officer who got lucky, but what is the big deal?
Did it stop the flow of pot? Did it deter anyone from smoking, selling, buying pot?
This so called war on drugs has been going on for 40 YEARS. Does anyone see an end in sight?
Nixon is dead. So are thousands of people affected by his 'war'.
Mexican cartels are billionaires. People cannot safely visit Mexico. Ask that Marine with the shotgun. Ask the headless corpses they hand from over passes.
And they even want to ban guns. Gee I guess all gang related murders will magically stop now.
You cannot enforce moral laws. Only the individual itself can make that decision what he will do.
Making it legal probably won't solve all the problems associated with it but, a failed policy spanning 4 decades should tell them SOMETHING.
My esteemed fellow gentlemen in the lawmaking machine; IT DOES NOT WORK. PLEASE FIX IT.
Or, is it working in some other ways that the public is not aware of? Are the right people getting paid off to keep the status quo?
Only thing I can think of to keep such a disaster operating. Someone(s) must be benefiting.
And it ain't us!
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