TROOPER SAYS I-70 IS A DRUG THOROUGHFARE

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers keep making drug seizures and
arrests, but that hasn't stopped the flow of narcotics being
trafficked along Interstate 70, a Post 7 sergeant said Friday.

A string of traffic stops this week resulted in multiple arrests and
the recovery of heroin, pills and drug paraphernalia, according to
Sgt. Jim Tracy of the St. Clairsville post. He said heroin and
prescription drugs were taken in an arrest at about 7:15 a.m. Friday
on Interstate 70 in St. Clairsville, and troopers were kept busy
Thursday with a bizarre set of circumstances involving drugs and a
stolen vehicle. The situation was described by Tracy as "a mess."

The Nissan pick-up truck [redacted] was driving Thursday in Belmont
County was stopped by troopers twice before she was arrested on a
felony charge of receiving stolen property and one count of
possession of drug paraphernalia.

Tracy said the post received a tip the all-terrain vehicle in the bed
of the pick-up was stolen. The truck,[redacted] was spotted at about
5 p.m. by a trooper in Belmont County who stopped [redacted] on Ohio
7 at the intersection of Aetna Street in Martins Ferry.

[redacted] at the time of that stop. All three of them were permitted
to continue on because the trooper could not confirm any of them had
taken the ATV without permission.

Tracy said it was only minutes after the three were set free that
authorities learned the owner of the ATV had just reported it is
missing, and troopers were again looking for the Nissan driven by [redacted].

Tracy stopped the vehicle about 45 minutes after the initial traffic
stop. The second traffic stop was made near Barnesville at milepost
202 of I-70.

The sergeant said, because the ATV had been officially reported
stolen, he was able to search the pick-up truck.

"She had a crack pipe," Tracy said. "One of the males had a large
quantity of Percosets. Both men had large sums of money - three grand
($3,000) between them."

[redacted] was being held Friday in the Belmont County Jail on a
felony charge of receiving stolen property and one count of
possession of drug paraphernalia.

[redacted] was held on two counts of drug possession and one count of
receiving stolen property. [redacted] was held on one count of
receiving stolen property.

Tracy also was the trooper who made the drug arrest at 7:15 a.m.
Friday near milepost 211 of I-70 in St. Clairsville. [redacted], was
transported to the Belmont County Jail on charges of drug
trafficking, three counts of drug possession and possession of drug
abuse instruments.

The sergeant said [redacted] was in possession of heroin,
prescription pills and a large amount of cash.

Tracy said, in addition to the drugs stops Thursday and Friday,
another recent stop resulted in an arrest and the seizure of 51 Xanax pills.

"It's a (drug) thoroughfare here on I-70," Tracy said.