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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ocala man arrested for drug trafficking, possession during traffic stop

A 38-year-old Ocala man was arrested for drug trafficking and possession during a traffic stop.

On November 11 at around 7 p.m., an Ocala Police Department officer observed a red Ford Ranger speeding on West State Road 40 in Ocala.

The officer pulled over the pickup truck, and the driver was identified as Robert Rory Randolph. A male passenger was also in the front seat.

Ocala man arrested for drug trafficking possession after traffic stop
Robert Rory Randolph

The OPD report indicated that Randolph and the passenger both appeared to be scared.

A Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a canine partner arrived on scene. The canine sniffed the exterior of the truck and alerted the deputy to the presence of drugs inside.

Randolph and the passenger were removed from the truck. When the OPD officer patted down Randolph and asked to search his pockets, he refused.

Inside the truck’s bed, a Lays potato chip bag was discovered, and a large crystal-like substance was inside. This substance later field tested positive for methamphetamine.

A small bag was found with a white substance inside, and that substance later field tested positive for fentanyl.

Two backpacks were next to the chip bag in the bed of the truck, and one of the backpacks contained mail inside that belonged to Randolph.

Randolph admitted to the officer that he had something inside his pockets, and a black eyeglass case was taken from his front right pocket that contained a loaded syringe with a brown liquid, multiple needles, and a small clear bag with traces of a crystal substance that also field tested positive for methamphetamine.

He claimed to have picked up two men on State Road 40 and he stated that he drove them to a Burger King. The men were “weird,” so he left them at the fast-food restaurant. The backpacks found in the truck, according to Randolph, belonged to those men.

Randolph told the officer that he became addicted to methamphetamine when he was 11 years old. He denied any knowledge of the drugs that were found inside the Lays chip bag.

Randolph was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and later released on bond.

He is facing felony charges for drug trafficking and possession. A court date has been scheduled on December 14 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.