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Florida man found with more than $340k worth of drugs during traffic stop

Drug bust Sumter.jpg
Posted at 1:38 PM, Mar 22, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-24 13:09:20-04

A Florida man was arrested after Florida Highway Patrol found him in possession of more than $340,000 worth of drugs during a traffic stop.

On Monday, FHP troopers conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Charger on I-75 NB in Sumter County for unlawful speed, following too close and illegal window tint. As troopers approached the driver, 28-year-old Travis Thurston, they say they noticed the smell of burnt marijuana coming from the inside of the car.

The driver was detained while troopers searched the rental vehicle and found several boxes which contained a total of 7.58 pounds of cathinone, 34.7 grams of packaged marijuana, and $4500 on his person, authorities say.

The value of the drugs was determined to be $343,823 of cathinone and $694 of marijuana, law enforcement said.

Thurston was arrested for trafficking cathinone, renting a vehicle for the purpose of drug trafficking, possession of marijuana under 20 grams, and possession of drug paraphernalia.