News (Media Awareness Project) - US LA: High Octane - Gas Tank Of Auctioned Truck Hides 200 |
| Title: | US LA: High Octane - Gas Tank Of Auctioned Truck Hides 200 |
| Published On: | 2003-07-22 |
| Source: | Town Talk, The (Alexandria, LA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-08-24 19:00:43 |
HIGH OCTANE: GAS TANK OF AUCTIONED TRUCK HIDES 200 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA
BUNKIE -- A local car dealership found more than gas in the tank of one its
trucks Monday.
The service crew at Lamar Ford found 200 pounds of marijuana hidden in the
gas tank of a truck, said Bunkie police Chief Mary Fanara.
The marijuana, which was compressed into two separate containers, is worth
about $200,000.
Bunkie officers placed the marijuana in a police evidence room, but the
odor still permeated the air at the back of the jail. Many officers said
they could stay in the room only for a little while before the odor forced
them out.
Fanara will ask the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to take over the
investigation.
The 2001 Ford F-150 was bought at a car auction in Texas July 9. Fanara
said the dealership sold the vehicle, then received a complaint that
something was wrong with the gas tank.
The new owner would fill the tank, but the gasoline wouldn't last for long.
On Monday, the Lamar service crew removed the gas tank and found two
separate containers bolted into the tank.
"They called to tell us they had found drugs in the gas tank of a vehicle,
and I could not believe it until I saw it with my own eyes," Fanara said.
Police said the containers were hinged into the gas tank so if someone
knocked on it, it still would sound hollow.
How the drugs got into the tank remains a mystery. Police said it's likely
the drugs were inserted into the containers with a compressor device.
Police said the marijuana was heavily packed. Maj. Timmy Stracener said he
tried to see how deep the container was but could only chip down a few
inches into the drugs without tearing it apart.
Fanara said the department has theories about how the vehicle was auctioned
with the drugs inside. She speculated that it could have been repossessed
or seized in forfeiture before the drugs could be removed.
Officers also do not know who previously owned the vehicle or where it came
from before it was sold at the auction.
The drug find is Bunkie's largest and Fanara says she's never seen anything
like this before.
Officers confiscated the gas tank and drugs, but left the truck with the
car dealership.
BUNKIE -- A local car dealership found more than gas in the tank of one its
trucks Monday.
The service crew at Lamar Ford found 200 pounds of marijuana hidden in the
gas tank of a truck, said Bunkie police Chief Mary Fanara.
The marijuana, which was compressed into two separate containers, is worth
about $200,000.
Bunkie officers placed the marijuana in a police evidence room, but the
odor still permeated the air at the back of the jail. Many officers said
they could stay in the room only for a little while before the odor forced
them out.
Fanara will ask the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to take over the
investigation.
The 2001 Ford F-150 was bought at a car auction in Texas July 9. Fanara
said the dealership sold the vehicle, then received a complaint that
something was wrong with the gas tank.
The new owner would fill the tank, but the gasoline wouldn't last for long.
On Monday, the Lamar service crew removed the gas tank and found two
separate containers bolted into the tank.
"They called to tell us they had found drugs in the gas tank of a vehicle,
and I could not believe it until I saw it with my own eyes," Fanara said.
Police said the containers were hinged into the gas tank so if someone
knocked on it, it still would sound hollow.
How the drugs got into the tank remains a mystery. Police said it's likely
the drugs were inserted into the containers with a compressor device.
Police said the marijuana was heavily packed. Maj. Timmy Stracener said he
tried to see how deep the container was but could only chip down a few
inches into the drugs without tearing it apart.
Fanara said the department has theories about how the vehicle was auctioned
with the drugs inside. She speculated that it could have been repossessed
or seized in forfeiture before the drugs could be removed.
Officers also do not know who previously owned the vehicle or where it came
from before it was sold at the auction.
The drug find is Bunkie's largest and Fanara says she's never seen anything
like this before.
Officers confiscated the gas tank and drugs, but left the truck with the
car dealership.
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