By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - mtrax@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
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Two Pennsylvania men are charged with aggravated drug trafficking and possession of cocaine after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers found more than a pound of cocaine during a routine traffic stop in Kingsville Township on Monday evening, Lt. Mike Harmon said.
Sam Nelson, 46, and his brother John Nelson, 39, both of Erie, allegedly were speeding through a construction zone on Interstate 90 when they were pulled over by an OHP trooper, reports show.
“The trooper smelled marijuana in the car, and the men admitted to smoking marijuana,” Harmon said. “He did a probable-cause search and found four bags of (powder) cocaine, each weighing at least 120 grams.”
Harmon said the drugs have a $50,000 street value. The Nelson brothers’ charges are both felonies because of the total amount of cocaine found. A small amount of marijuana also was found in the vehicle, OHP reports show.
“The weight of the drugs — because it is such a large amount — led us to the aggravated trafficking charge,” Harmon said. “We don’t have to prove (the Nelsons) were trying to sell the drugs to make the charges felonies.”
Sam Nelson and John Nelson were arraigned Tuesday in Eastern County Court in Jefferson, court records show. If convicted, the men face up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, Harmon said.
Harmon said the men failed to post bond and remain in the Ashtabula County Jail.
Harmon said OHP troopers of the Saybrook Township post are pro-active in criminal patrols, made more difficult because of the post’s lack of a drug-sniffing dog.
“This post, for all our aggressive work in recovering stolen vehicles and making drug arrests, does not have a canine officer,” Harmon said. “Our jobs would be a lot easier here with a canine officer because now we must depend on other law-enforcement agencies and their dogs.”
Harmon said OHP-patrolled roads in Ashtabula County were safe through the Labor Day weekend.
“Troopers made five “operating a vehicle while impaired” (OVI) arrests over the weekend, and there were no fatalities or major crashes,” he said. “Five OVIs are not a lot for a holiday weekend. At some point, we start thinking that people are starting to understand that we mean business here in Ashtabula County when it comes to impaired driving.”
