February 21, 2023
By News Director Jared Atha
“Police intuition” could be to credit for a drug bust during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 in Custer County.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the bust occurred on the morning of February 10 when a trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol observed a vehicle following another vehicle to closely and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle, driven by 27-year-old Bendict Ostine of Madison, Tennessee, would exit the interstate and pull over in a convenience store parking lot.
There, the trooper would approach the vehicle on the passenger side where he would notice a strong odor of what he suspected to be marijuana.
After interviewing the driver in his patrol car, the trooper called for back up after suspecting the pair may be involved in criminal activity.
The trooper would then approach the passenger in the suspect vehicle, identified as being 32-year-old Martez McNabb of Athens, Alabama, and would order him out of the vehicle where he conduct a search of McNabb. During this process, the affidavit stated that while the trooper patted him down and attempted to remove his wallet McNabb became uncooperative. He was ultimately placed into handcuffs and put into a patrol car.
The court document said that during a probable cause search of the vehicle troopers would find a large cardboard box and two duffel bags.
Inside the box were vacuum sealed packages in kilo-sized bricks consistent with transportation of illegal drugs. The affidavit state that when troopers discovered the illegal narcotics, McNabb was able to escape the patrol car and attempted to flee on foot however was quickly apprehended.
A total of 26 bricks with a weight of 72.5 pounds of suspected cocaine was seized along with three plastic bags with a pink powder totaling 11 pounds, which was sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations lab for analysis, were found in the vehicle.
The driver, Ostine, received one felony charge of aggravated trafficking in illegal drugs while the passenger McNabb, received multiple charges including the trafficking charge, and escape from arrest or detention.
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