Police Arrest Two in Williamson County for Over 90 Pounds of Pot

A Williamson County Sheriffs deputy’s arrested Jose Olguin and Madelena Flores for felony offenses of possession of 91 pounds of marijuana and possession of 1.95 pounds of cocaine. Officers stopped Flores for driving a car without a front license plate. During the traffic stop officers asked where the couple was headed and the answered to visit Olguin’s brother.

However, Flores couldn’t tell officers the brother’s name. Flores also lied to officers about her criminal history. Officers then said Flores consented to having her vehicle searched by a canine unit which alerted for drugs. Officers discovered the drugs hidden in the gas tank. Flores later admitted she they had been paid $2,500 to transport the drugs to Mississippi.

These are serious drugs charges, especially for Flores who apparently has a conviction for the same type of offense. Prosecutors no doubt will enhance her indictment with a paragraph which will increase her punishment range. The defendant’s criminal defense attorneys will carefully investigate all the surrounding facts of the stop. This appears to be a typical traffic stop preformed by law enforcement who are suspicious of a car transporting drugs. It is the officers call to develop probable cause for a search during the traffic stop or obtain consent from the driver to conduct a search.

In this case, consent could be the key issue. There should be recordings made of the encounter which will be very important in determining if the consent was voluntary.