Patrol seizes Ecstasy, loaded handgun in Mercer County traffic stop

WAPAKONETA, Ohio (WDTN) - A traffic stop in Mercer County resulted in four arrests on drug charges and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers in possession of 1,502 Ecstasy pills.

Troopers stopped a Chevy Suburban, with Indiana registration, for a speed violation on US 33 on Feb. 1. They said they detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and a probable cause search uncovered several plastic bags containing the pills and a loaded 9mm handgun.

The driver, Kenneth R. Moore, 52, of Fort Wayne, Ind., and passengers, C.T. Tell Jr., 42, of Fort Wayne, Ind., Anthony Bolden Jr., 36, of Detroit, Mich., and Jermaine A. Johnson, 27, of Spanish Town, Jamaica, were arrested and charged with possession of drugs and carrying a concealed weapon.

Troopers said the drugs have a value of nearly $26,000.