65.4 F
Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Passenger jailed on drug trafficking charge after deputy finds fentanyl in car

A traffic stop for speeding in Marion County led to the arrest of a passenger after several drugs and related paraphernalia were found inside the vehicle.

On Monday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy was traveling northbound on SE 58th Avenue when a Toyota sedan was observed. The arrest report stated that the vehicle was traveling at 60 miles per hour, which was 15 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

The deputy noted in the report that the sedan turned westbound onto NE 24th Street. During the turn, the vehicle entered the eastbound turn lane before the driver steered the vehicle back into the westbound lane.

The sedan then entered the Circle K parking lot located at 5182 E Silver Springs Boulevard, and the deputy conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. The deputy made contact with the unidentified female driver and a male passenger who was identified in the report as 36-year-old Justin Charles Chambers, according to the MCSO report.

Justin Charles Chambers
Justin Charles Chambers

As the deputy issued a traffic warning to the driver, another deputy with a K-9 partner arrived on scene. The MCSO report stated that the K-9 partner sniffed the exterior of the vehicle and gave a positive alert to the presence of drugs.

According to the MCSO report, the interior of the vehicle was searched, and the following items were located:

  • A small plastic container was on the passenger side floorboard. Inside the container, a cotton ball and a small baggie filled with 12 yellow pills were found.
  • A pair of pants was on the passenger floorboard. Inside the pants, a plastic baggie containing eight capsules was found, and the capsules were filled with a brown powder. Chambers’ wallet and ID were also located inside the pants.

The MCSO report stated that the yellow pills were identified as Gabapentin, which requires a prescription. The brown powder weighed 5.6 grams and field-tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. In addition, the cotton ball field-tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

Chambers told the deputies that he found the “bag of pills” in the trash earlier in the day, and he claimed that he “did not know what it was.” He advised that he has a prescription for Gabapentin, though the pill bottle was not in the vehicle, according to the MCSO report.

Chambers was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $12,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for trafficking in fentanyl, along with misdemeanor charges for possession of a harmful new legend drug without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.