people are dumb
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 7:31 pm
ROGUE RIVER, Ore. (AP) — A routine traffic stop on Interstate 5 led to the recovery of a near-record amount of Ecstasy and the arrest of a California man, police said Wednesday.
Phu Binh Tran, 25, of Milpitas, Calif., was charged with manufacturing, possession and distribution of a controlled substance after 40 pounds of Ecstasy was found in his car Tuesday evening. He was being held at the Jackson County jail in Medford with bail set at $500,000.
It was believed to be the largest amount found during a traffic stop in Oregon and possibly the largest amount ever recovered in a single arrest in the state with a street value estimated at $1.2 million, according to the Oregon State Police.
Senior Trooper Pam Gaither stopped Tran for driving about 80 mph southbound on the freeway about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, state police said.
The illegal drug was found after Tran consented to a search that included the trunk, police said.
Trooper Greg Costanzo and his drug detection dog, Cookie, as well as federal Drug Enforcement Agency detectives provided assistance during the stop.
Ecstasy — also known as MDMA — is a synthetic drug chemically similar to methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Once used primarily at dance clubs, raves and college parties, Ecstasy use has expanded even though the drug can be dangerous and even fatal, police said.
Oregon State Police Superintendent Ron Ruecker praised Gaither for the arrest “and the investigative skills she demonstrated.”
Phu Binh Tran, 25, of Milpitas, Calif., was charged with manufacturing, possession and distribution of a controlled substance after 40 pounds of Ecstasy was found in his car Tuesday evening. He was being held at the Jackson County jail in Medford with bail set at $500,000.
It was believed to be the largest amount found during a traffic stop in Oregon and possibly the largest amount ever recovered in a single arrest in the state with a street value estimated at $1.2 million, according to the Oregon State Police.
Senior Trooper Pam Gaither stopped Tran for driving about 80 mph southbound on the freeway about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, state police said.
The illegal drug was found after Tran consented to a search that included the trunk, police said.
Trooper Greg Costanzo and his drug detection dog, Cookie, as well as federal Drug Enforcement Agency detectives provided assistance during the stop.
Ecstasy — also known as MDMA — is a synthetic drug chemically similar to methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Once used primarily at dance clubs, raves and college parties, Ecstasy use has expanded even though the drug can be dangerous and even fatal, police said.
Oregon State Police Superintendent Ron Ruecker praised Gaither for the arrest “and the investigative skills she demonstrated.”
