Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Arrest

Police arrested a man in Ft. Bend County for felony possession of marijuana after he was pulled over for a traffic stop. Sheriff Deputies pulled the man’s car over for speeding and a deputy noticed marks near the gas tank of the suspects vehicle which led them to believe it had been tampered with. A K-9 unit was called to the scene and the dog alerted. 77 pounds of marijuana was discovered in the gas tank.

The reasonable suspicion to detain the vehicle will be critical in assessing whether there is probable cause for the search. If the police pull a car over for a traffic violation they can not detain it for a lengthy time after the conclusion of the investigation of the traffic violation. If there is a detention the prosecution must have evidence that law enforcement had  reasonable suspicion to detain the suspect. The critical testimony in this case will center around the marks near the gas tank and whether that creates a reasonable suspicion.