The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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September 3, 2008

EPD sees largest cocaine bust in its history

By Cass Rains, Staff Writer

A broken headlight early Saturday morning led to the largest seizure of powder and crack cocaine in Enid Police Department history.

“This was truly the largest crack cocaine seizure the Enid Police Department has had,” said Sgt. Rick Tanner. “We know that this crack cocaine was intended for sale on the streets of Enid.”

Tanner said Officer Darin Morris and K-9 Officer Justin Lamle found more than 300 grams of powder and crack cocaine in the vehicle Morris stopped early Saturday morning.

Morris, the department’s community policing officer, observed a 1987 white Cadillac westbound on U.S. 412 with a defective headlight. Morris stopped the car for the equipment violation and spoke with three people in the car.

The occupants of the car — Larry Robinson, 47, of Enid; Martha Caston, 34, of Midwest City; and Buddy Smith, 34, of Enid — were “acting inordinately nervous” so Morris contacted Lamle, according to Tanner.

Lamle’s K-9 partner, Thor, conducted an exterior search of the Cadillac and gave a positive indication for the presence of illegal narcotics, according to Tanner.

During a search of the vehicle, the officers found a soft-sided cooler containing several bags of what they believed to be crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Both substances tested positive for cocaine content, Tanner said.

The street value of the drugs seized by Morris and Lamle is more than $31,000, Tanner said.

The three people in the car were arrested. While at Enid Police Department, officers discovered Caston also had marijuana on her person, Tanner said.

Caston was arrested on a complaint of possession of marijuana. Smith was arrested on a complaint driving with a suspended license. Robinson was arrested on a complaint of trafficking in a controlled dangerous substance.

During a search of Robinson’s home, 422 S. Arthur, police recovered a stolen handgun taken in a 2001 Enid home burglary, several hundred rounds of ammunition, digital scales and a police scanner, Tanner said.

“The Enid Police Department’s Criminal Interdiction Unit has definitely delivered a devastating blow to the distribution of illegal narcotics being sold in the Enid area,” Tanner said.

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