An Oakland Hills woman was arrested Wednesday after trying to pass off a hidden drug stash as “bunched-up underwear” during a traffic stop earlier this year.
Zaria Paige McCloud, 26, who lives in the Oakland Hills development off U.S. Hwy. 441 in Lady Lake, was taken into custody by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies in connection with a traffic stop that originally occurred in April.
A K9 deputy pulled over McCloud’s gray Mazda sedan on April 23 for running a stop sign at the intersection of County Road 109 and County Road 109F. McCloud, who was the sole occupant, exhibited nervous behavior and had an expired medical marijuana card sitting on her lap.
After she denied having any drugs in the vehicle, a K9 unit was deployed and alerted to the presence of narcotics. Deputies searched her purse and found a small plastic baggie containing fentanyl residue.
When a deputy asked if she had anything in her pockets, McCloud said no. However, the deputy noticed a bulge above her right buttock, just below her waistband. McCloud began grabbing at the item in an attempt to relocate and hide it, claiming it was just her “underwear bunched up.”
Noting the size of the bulge, the deputy told McCloud it did not appear to be her underwear. When deputies grabbed her arms to escort her, she began backing toward her vehicle to prevent them from obtaining the item. She was placed in handcuffs and ultimately admitted she had concealed a pouch inside her pants.
McCloud retrieved and handed over a small purple zippered pouch. Inside, deputies found two used syringes that tested positive for fentanyl, two baggies with blue and white powder residue, and a piece of tinfoil containing 0.14 grams of methamphetamine. She was released from the scene that day pending further investigation.
On Wednesday morning, a deputy spotted McCloud riding as a passenger in a silver car and initiated a traffic stop, knowing there was probable cause for her arrest stemming from the April incident.
She was arrested on a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $3,500 bond.