POLICE THINK SUSPECTS' AIM WAS TO TRANSPORT DRUGS

Blount County authorities speculate four men arrested Thursday afternoon
following a traffic stop on Pellissippi Parkway were likely delivering two
kilograms of cocaine to another location for distribution instead of trying
to sell the drug to consumers.

That theory is based on the form in which the two packages of cocaine were
found. Each of the packages weighs one kilogram or 2.2 pounds, not 4.4
pounds each as stated in error in the Friday edition of The Daily Times.

Agents of the Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force operated by the
Blount County Sheriff's Office said the packages were shrink-wrapped in
black plastic and contained tightly compressed powdered cocaine.
Authorities said it's unlikely the drug would have still been in uncut,
bulk form if it was to have been sold to individual customers.

The wholesale value of each package is estimated at approximately $30,000
but narcotics agents say the retail or street value of the drug seized
Thursday is estimated at $250,000.

The major drug bust was the result of drug interdiction by Blount County
Deputy Steve Anderson and K-9 Robbie.

Chief Deputy Tony Crisp explained how interdiction differs from other
patrol activity.

"An officer doing interdiction will do a traffic stop on any vehicle
involved in a traffic violation, even the most minor violations like
traveling a mile or two over the speed limit," Crisp said. "The officer
will then speak to the driver with the intention of issuing either a
warning or a citation for the violation. The officer will also ask for
permission to search the vehicle as part of the community's standard drug
prevention procedure."

Crisp said a K-9 officer and his dog can check a vehicle for drugs with the
driver's permission in a matter of minutes, preventing lengthy delays for
motorists. K-9 units are allowed to check the exterior of a vehicle without
permission from the driver. If a certified narcotics detection dog "hits"
on the outside of the vehicle, that provides reasonable suspicion to
conduct a more thorough search.

Crisp said Anderson stopped the small pickup truck on Pellissippi Parkway
Thursday afternoon because the truck was being driven erratically.

When Anderson approached the truck, the driver and all three passengers
indicated they did not speak English. Anderson then requested that Deputy
Bob Suarez come to the scene to serve as a translator.

After Suarez arrived and started speaking with the four men in Spanish,
Anderson and his K-9 partner Robbie checked the outside of the truck
registered to the driver, who gave a Maryville address. When the dog
indicated the possibility of drugs present in the vehicle, a search of the
interior began. The dog quickly zeroed in on a storage area behind one of
the fold-down seats in the back of the extended cab.

Once the two kilograms of cocaine were located, agents from the drug task
force were notified and the four men were taken into custody. The truck and
more than $1,000 in cash were seized in addition to the drugs. Agents
involved in preparing warrants charging the four men said the case may
eventually be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency due to the amount
of cocaine involved. Right now, the four men face state charges of
possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to sell or
deliver.

Investigators have determined that David Lopez Hernadez, 26, and Ricardo
Ruiz-Boyzon, 34, both of Maryville, Estacio Mauricio, 27, of Alcoa, and
Francisco Gonzalez-Sanchez, 21, of Chamblee, Ga., near Atlanta, are all in
the United States illegally. All four are being held for the Immigration
and Naturalization Service in addition to being held in lieu of $100,000
bonds on the drug charges.