Jorge Albert Pavon-Maldonado, 23, of Chalmette, Louisiana
Milton Solis-Solares, 27, of Guatemala
Traffic Stop for Speeding Turns Into Large Drug Bust, SEVEN OAKS, May 3, 2011 - Shortly before midnight on May 2, 2011 DPS Trooper David Flowers with the Texas Highway Patrol spotted a dark green Dodge pickup speeding north-bound on US-59 in Seven Oaks. Flowers initiated a traffic stop. When he questioned the driver (Jorge Pavon-Maldonaldo, 23, of Chalmette, Louisiana) the driver acted nervous stating that him and his passenger (Milton Solis, 27, of Guatemala) were construction workers, but Solis stated that they were mechanics.
Flowers shined his flash light into the bed of the pickup which had a transmission and other greasy things. Flowers noticed a diesel fuel tank mounted in the back and tapped one side with his flash light. According to Trooper Flowers, one side of the tank had a solid sound, but when he tapped the other side, there was a hollow sound. Flowers gained consent to search the vehicle and was soon joined by Sergeant William Jerry, Narcotics Detective, Mike Nettles, and Deputies Monty Lee and Troy Binford.
During the vehicle search, the Officers turned up the diesel tank which had a square metal patch covering a square hole on the bottom of the tank and bolted on. After removing a couple of the bolts and bending back a corner of the metal, Deputy Binford peered into the tank and noted plastic wrapped bundles. Game over.
Jorge Pavon-Maldonado and Milton Solis were cuffed, placed under arrest, and transported to Polk County Jail. The vehicle was driven back to the Sheriff's Office garage where the truck was searched. When the phony diesel tank was turned over and the metal cover removed, 38 tightly bundled blocks of marijuana were removed. A preliminary weighing of the marijuana weighed in just short of 161 lbs. The marijuana will be transported to the DPS Crime Lab for a full analysis.
Trooper David Flowers (left) gets some assistance from Dakoda Hernandes (right). This is the back of the truck as it appeared when Flowers initiated the traffic stop.
Officers prepare to turn the phony diesel tank upside down...
...once the cover was removed from the bottom, the bundles started coming...
...and coming...
...and coming.
(L - R) Trooper David Flowers, Narcotics Investigator Mike Nettles, Deputy Monty Lee, and Sergeant William Jerry (standing). 38 bundles for a total weight of 160.81 lbs.
The hippy lettuce was stored in what used to be a diesel tank. Sergeant William Jerry with the Polk County Sheriff's Office looks through the square hole in the bottom where the dope was kept.
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