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Volusia County deputies arrested a 450-pound man after they said they found marijuana hidden under his “stomach fat,” according to The Smoking Gun.
Christopher Mitchell, 42, was arrested Friday after a drug-sniffing dog alerted deputies during a traffic stop. A search turned up 23 grams of marijuana he had hidden on himself, authorities said, along with cocaine, a handgun and $7,000 in cash.
The deputies also noticed something else. The vehicle’s trunk and interior were sprinkled with carpet freshener and scented dryer sheets, a common tactic used to conceal the odor of drugs when they’re being transported.
Both the driver, 38-year-old Keithian Roberts (DOB: 7/23/75) of Sanford and Mitchell (DOB: 9/7/71) of Deltona, ended up getting arrested. Roberts was charged with possession of cocaine and Mitchell was charged with possession of marijuana and also was cited for not wearing his seat belt.
But the arrests were no chance encounter. It was all part of a crime suppression operation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office targeting crime and traffic enforcement in the Deltona area.
The operation kicked off at 10 a.m. on Friday and continued for 10 hours, with a number of deputies in both marked and unmarked vehicles saturating the Deltona community.
Dubbed Operation Summer Shield, the operation was designed to combat property crimes, illegal drugs and dangerous driving offenses, such as speeding, DUI, running traffic lights and stop signs and reckless driving.
The prime objective of the operations (there will be more of them throughout the summer) is to abate, discourage and displace crime through aggressive enforcement. Friday’s operation did just that, resulting in 23 arrests, the issuance of 83 traffic citations and 14 criminal citations. Deputies also conducted 148 traffic stops.
Of the 23 arrests, five were for felony offenses, 16 were for misdemeanor charges and two were the result of open warrants.
The charges against Mitchell and Roberts were among the most serious. Some of the other charges included illegal possession of prescription drugs, driving with a suspended license, possession of drug paraphernalia and interference with child custody.
Agencies/Canadajournal
