Authorites Make Record Drug Bust

Sunday, April 29th 2007, 10:10 pm

By: News On 6

DURANT, Okla. (AP) -- Bryan County authorities are touting the seizure of five pounds of crystal methamphetamine during a traffic stop as the largest meth bust in the county's history.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Vern Roland stopped a vehicle on U.S. Highway 75 on Friday morning after he says the vehicle crossed a traffic line several times.

In the patrol's report, Roland noted that the vehicle's driver, 27-year-old Jose Ramon Perez, and passenger, 25-year-old Santiago Benitez, made inconsistent statements, and Roland got permission to search the vehicle.

Using a drug-sniffing dog, Roland found four bundles of crystal meth wrapped in duct tape under the hood. Authorities say the street value of the drug would be about
205-thousand-dollars.

Perez and Benitez are both from Houston and are being held on a $1 million bond on drug trafficking charges.