Largo man busted with more than 2k pounds of marijuana in RV during Sumter County traffic stop: FHP

WILDWOOD, Fla. - A K9 with the Florida Highway Patrol helped sniff out more than two thousand pounds of marijuana hidden in an RV during a traffic stop in Sumter County on Wednesday.

The backstory:

An FHP trooper said he saw a white GMC pickup truck towing a camper trailer, or RV, on I-75 shortly before 4:45 p.m., traveling less than one car length behind a gray passenger vehicle.

The trooper noted that the driver was having trouble staying in his lane, and when the trooper turned on his lights and sirens to get the driver to stop, the driver continued for about a mile before pulling onto the shoulder.

Once stopped, the trooper said the windows had an additional tint or covering that made them non-transparent and the smell of marijuana wafted from the vehicle.  

Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol

The driver, William Wesley Hicks, reportedly told the trooper that he didn’t see the lights or hear the sirens because he was talking on the phone with a doctor.

He also said that he was coming from Pensacola after visiting his father, according to FHP.

Once outside the vehicle, the trooper said Hicks kept wandering toward the wood line and was told several times to walk back to the patrol car.

Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol

The trooper stated that Hicks seemed preoccupied with K9 Lobo, who arrived on the scene with another trooper and was walking around the exterior of the RV.

After K9 Lobo alerted that there was something in the RV, the trooper asked him if there was any reason a law enforcement K9 would alert to the vehicle. He said no.

The trooper said he then placed Hicks in the back of the patrol car and patted him down, sending the smell of marijuana through the air.

Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol

The trooper said he asked Hicks if there was hemp or methamphetamine in the vehicle and Hicks said no. Hicks also said he was not on the Florida Medical Marijuana Use Registry, according to FHP.

Dig deeper:

Several other troopers arrived at the scene, and claimed they found stacks of black plastic trash bags labeled with duct tape. They said 15 large bags of marijuana were removed from the front portion of the RV. The camper’s interior, according to troopers, was modified to conceal and transport drugs, where nearly 50 bags were removed.

Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol

In total, troopers said 2,025.70 pounds of marijuana were inside the RV.

Hicks was arrested and charged with several felonies, including trafficking marijuana.

Courtesy: Sumter County Sheriff's Office

He was also cited for failing to maintain lane and following too closely.