Sheriff's deputy seizes $20K in cocaine, cash in traffic stop

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

LEE COUNTY - A Lee County Sheriff's deputy seized close to $15,000 in suspected cocaine early Thursday morning after stopping a vehicle from Florida for speeding.

The deputy made the stop on Hwy. 2 near Donnellson at 240th Street discovered $5,000 in cash and the drugs.

Brayam David Chaparro Gardner, 30, of Ruskin, Fla, was detained and taken to the Lee County Jail charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. After further investigation additional charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, a Class B felony; violation of drug tax stamp, a class D felony and possession of marijuana, a serious misdemeanor, were added.

The deputy, who wasn't named in the release, had recently completed a drug interdiction training course, which educates law enforcement on detection and enforcement of drug trafficking.

"He was stopped for speeding, but the reason for the search was based on admissions of the driver, and observations of the deputy," said Lee County Narcotics Task Force Commander Chad Donaldson.

He said Lee County doesn't see a lot of cocaine, but with the major highways in the county, he isn't surprised to see it from someone in transit.

"Anytime we have someone trafficking in controlled substances though our jurisdiction its possible considering the major highways through Lee County," he said.

"You never know what can turn up during this type of contact. But for our area, meth and marijuana are common. We don't commonly come across cocaine in this amount."

The arrest will prompt a consultation with intelligence networks and the Division of Narcotics Enforcement to see if any additional charges are warranted, Donaldson said.

The drugs have been sent to the state crime lab for testing and the investigation into the incident continues.

"We haven't got the lab results back yet, but we suspect it's cocaine."

Gardner is currently in the Lee County Jail and no bond has been set, as he hasn't seen a judge.

All charges carry a presumption of innocence until the defendant is proven guilty in a court of law.