Load of pot seized; 2 charged

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WILMINGTON — Cargo consisting of 131 bags of marijuana was seized Monday as it was being transported via a pickup truck in Clinton County.

Marked bags contained different strains of marijuana including a high-grade type, said Major Brett Prickett of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.

Sgt. Doug Eastes of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office said the marijuana is believed to have originated at a “sophisticated growing operation.”

Street value for the marijuana is “well over” $200,000, said Eastes.

Two Columbus men, Ryan Justin Ward and Sean Brian Lewie, both 26, were each charged with possessing drugs, a second-degree felony. The men were taken into custody without incident.

The sheriff’s office received information about a marijuana shipment coming through Clinton County, according to Prickett. Through collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, the county sheriff’s office was able to stop the northbound vehicle about 4:30 p.m. Monday on U.S. 68 near the I-71 interchange.

The bagged marijuana was inside a large container sitting on the bed of a Dodge pickup truck. No firearms were found in the vehicle.

At the time of the News Journal interview on Tuesday, the marijuana had not been weighed, but officials were estimating a total greater than 100 pounds.

The sheriff’s office worked in conjunction with a multi-jurisdictional organization — the U.S. Route 23 Pipeline Major Crimes Task Force — as well as with Ross County Sheriff George W. Lavender Jr., assisting with surveillance.

Eastes said he anticipates more charges to be filed against the two suspects, pending crime lab reports.

A drug-sniffing dog with the Ohio State Highway Patrol alerted on the vehicle.

Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768 or on Twitter @GHuffenberger.

Bags of marijuana seized Monday on U.S. 68 in Clinton County more than covered a long table at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2015/11/web1_seized_f.jpgBags of marijuana seized Monday on U.S. 68 in Clinton County more than covered a long table at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.

Sean Lewie
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2015/11/web1_lewie_5_f.jpgSean Lewie

Ryan Ward
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2015/11/web1_ward_5_f.jpgRyan Ward

By Gary Huffenberger

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