FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2001
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

COLUMBIA - The South Carolina Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol has seized $90,840 in drugs and U.S. currency after four separate traffic stops on I-95 in Clarendon and Dorchester Counties this week by the ACE team.

The first stop was on Monday at 10 a.m. on I-95 Southbound at the 110 mile marker in Clarendon County. Micah C. Lanier, 29, of Raleigh, N.C., was travelling from Raleigh to Charleston when the Highway Patrol stopped his 2001 Pontiac rental car for speeding. They found 15 grams of heroin, 10 grams of cocaine and 12 grams of marijuana in clear bags on the back seat and in the trunk. The heroin had a street value of $10,500, the cocaine, $7,840, and the marijuana, $960. Lanier has been charged with trafficking heroin, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and simple possession of marijuana.

The second stop was on Thursday at 8:10 a.m. on I-95 Northbound at the 83 mile marker in Dorchester County. Driver Jose Peres, Jr., 21, of Boynton, FL, and passenger Jose Ulises Murillo, 22, of Lantana, FL, were travelling from Florida to New York when the Highway Patrol stopped the 2001 Dodge rental vehicle for speeding. They found 10 pounds of marijuana in clear bags inside the spare tire under the vehicle. The marijuana has a street value of $40,000. Peres and Murillo were charged with trafficking marijuana.

The third stop occurred on Thursday at 8:10 a.m. on I-95 Southbound at the 111 mile marker in Clarendon County. A Fort Pierce, FL, couple was travelling from Baltimore to Fort Pierce. The Highway Patrol stopped the 2000 Buick rental car for following too closely. They found $23,440 in a sock in the glove box. The man and woman disclaimed ownership or knowledge of the cash and were not charged. The cash was seized by the Highway Patrol.

The fourth stop was on Thursday at 9 p.m. on I-95 Southbound at the 112 mile marker in Clarendon County. Driver Milton J. Butler, 29, of Ormond Beach, FL, and passenger Theodore L. Brown, III, 30, of Daytona Beach, FL, were travelling from Vermont to Florida when the Highway Patrol stopped the 1976 Ford for improper lane use. They found two pounds of marijuana and seven grams of hashish in plastic bags underneath the bed of the van and between the front two seats. The two men have been charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. The drugs had a street value of $8,100.

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JB/135/2001

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