K-9 Sniffs out Crack Cocaine During I-85 Traffic Stop

Two South Carolina men are facing drug trafficking charges after an Aug. 18 traffic stop on I-85 northbound near Hamilton Mill resulted in the discovery of approximately 35 grams of suspected cocaine.

A Gwinnett County Police officer stopped a gray Chevrolet Impala driven by Larry King Jr., 25, of Charleston, S.C., after noticing the vehicle was following an SUV at a close distance. After obtaining identification from King and his passenger, Omar Washington, 34, also of Charleston, the officer asked King to exit the vehicle.

The officer informed King that he intended to issue a warning citation for following too closely. After writing the warning ticket, the officer asked King if there was anything illegal in the vehicle to which King replied “No.” The officer then asked for permission to search the vehicle, which was registered as an Enterprise rental vehicle.

“Larry paused and then said, ‘Yeah. Well no. It’s not my car’,” the officer wrote in the arrest report. The officer explained that King was in control of the rental vehicle and could allow a search if he chose to do so. King reportedly declined once again to allow the officer to search the vehicle.

After noticing that King appeared to be very nervous, the officer decided to call for a K-9 unit.

According to the police report, the K-9 detected the presence of illegal narcotics in the vehicle. Based on the K-9’s actions, the officer and the K-9 handler began to search the vehicle. After an extensive search, the K-9 handler reached his hand between the trunk liner and the vehicle panel and discovered a clear plastic sandwich bag containing a substance that later field-tested positive for crack cocaine. King and Washington were taken into custody at that time on charges of cocaine trafficking.

In total, officers seized 35.4 grams of cocaine and $634 in cash from the two men. Both men remain jailed without bond.

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