McAlester Officers Seize 24 Pounds Of Marijuana In Traffic Stop

Sunday, April 29th 2007, 10:16 pm

By: News On 6

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- A routine traffic stop for a McAlester police officer turns into a drug bust as authorities seize 24 pounds of marijuana from the vehicle of a Dallas man. McAlester officer Preston Rodgers made the stop Thursday morning. Another officer, Bobby Cox, came to assist on the stop.

Rodgers discovered 18-year-old Daniel Cardena was driving with a suspended license and then searched the vehicle with Cox.

Police say the officers found 14 plastic-wrapped packages of suspected marijuana in the vehicle's spare tire. They say the drug has an estimated street value of about $24,000.

Cardena was arrested on complaints of driving with a suspended license and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.