An Ohio man was jailed on multiple charges Friday after he was stopped on Interstate 75 for speeding and following another vehicle too closely.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper stopped a vehicle being driven by 37-year-old Miguel Angel Romero shortly after 1 p.m. on I-75 north of County Road 476B in Sumter County. The trooper reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and noted that Romero appeared to be “moderately nervous.”
The trooper asked Romero for his license and his registration and if he had any weapons in the vehicle. Romero said he did not and the trooper asked him to exit his vehicle and stand in front of a patrol vehicle. A K-9 dog then performed an open-air sniff and alerted on Romero’s vehicle, a report states.
The trooper asked Romero if he had a medical marijuana card and he said he did not. He also said he didn’t have any hemp or methamphetamine in the vehicle and didn’t know why the K-9 would have alerted, according to the report.
The trooper searched Romero and found a large amount of cash in his left front pants pocket. During a search of the vehicle, a trooper located a black 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P Shield firearm inside of the center console armrest between the driver’s and front passenger seat). The handgun had a loaded magazine in it but didn’t have a round in the chamber, the report says, adding that a second magazine also was located in the center console.
The trooper found a black bag on the rear passenger floorboard behind the driver’s seat that contained a large of amount of cash rubber-banded together in four bundles. Inside each of the four bundles were smaller bundles that appeared to be separated by $1,000 increments for a total of about $37,000. All told, Romero was carrying $41,862 in cash in his vehicle, the report says.
The trooper found a scale and measuring cup inside the black bag, as well a small plastic bag that was tied at the top and contained 14.6 grams of a white substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. A black-and-silver Ruger firearm with a loaded magazine in it also was located in the back pocket of the front passenger seat and a marijuana cigarette weighing 7.7 grams was located in a toothbrush holder, the report says.
After being read his rights, Romero refused to speak with the trooper and said he wanted a lawyer. He was then placed under arrest and transported to the Sumter County Detention Center and charged with two counts of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a felon, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana not more than 20 grams and possession of drug equipment. He was being held on $25,000 bond, records show.