FDOT Press Release:

On November 21, 2009 at approximately 8:00 p.m., Office of Motor Carrier Compliance (OMCC) Special Operation Team (SOT) officers Chris Porter and Jonathan Cook found a charter bus on I-10 east bound in Jackson County attending to a flat tire.

During the officers conversation with the driver and co-driver conflicting information raised the officers’ suspicions.

Consent to search the bus was asked for and granted by both the driver and co-driver.

A canine was deployed to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle with an alert and indication on the passenger side of the bus, giving the officers further probable cause to search. The officers conducted a search of the motorcoach and discovered a hidden compartment in the fuel tank containing 67 bundles of marijuana.

The bundles were vacuum sealed, cellophane wrapped, and contained ammonia in between layers of cellophane. The total weight was approximately 380 lbs. with a street value of approximately $350.000.00.

Members of the Florida Highway Patrol contraband interdiction program assisted in the investigation.

The driver Jesus Alejandro Flores of Uvalde, Texas and co-driver Antonio Garcia Jr. of Carrizo Springs, Texas were booked in the Jackson County Jail for trafficking marijuana.

For more information contact Lt. Jeff Frost or Sgt. Artez Lester at 850-245-7900.