State Police Charge Suspect With Distributing More Than $100,000 Worth Of Heroin
PIKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ)-- Massive drug bust in Maryland. Nearly $200,000 in heroin and drug money was confiscated by state police during a routine traffic stop.
Rochelle Ritchie explains how the bust happened.
State police say the suspect was driving from New Jersey to North Carolina and had thousands of dollars in drugs and cash.
Maryland State Police say the suspect-- 37-year-old Alterwick Boyd from North Carolina-- planned to produce and distribute heroin.
"He was arrested and charged with a number of drug-related crimes, including importing heroin into the state," Greg Shipley, spokesman for the MSP, said.
Shipley says Boyd was driving his gray SUV south on I-95 when a trooper noticed he was tailgating another car.
"He was observant of the situation, circumstances in the car and [thought] suspicious behavior may be underway," he explained.
Boyd's suspicious behavior tipped the trooper off and a drug unit was called in with their No. 1 weapon-- Canine Kilo. While Kilo is camera shy, he's not shy when it comes to catching criminals.
The canine sniffed out more than $100,000 of heroin.
The table the bust was set on holds nearly $180,000 in drugs and cash and would have served nearly 8,000 to 10,000 users.
"This was a significant arrest and interdiction in that 5,000 street sales of heroin won't occur because that trooper was observant," Shipley said.
This year, the MSP have confiscated a pound and a half of meth worth $200,000, 84 pounds of marijuana estimated at $320,000, a pound of cocaine, and now, 13 pounds of heroin worth $300,000. In all, state troopers have taken around a million dollars of drugs off the streets.
"Heroin continues to be a drug of choice out there and continues to be sold on our streets," Shipley said.
If convicted, Boyd faces 75 years in prison. He remains in the Cecil County jail on a $200,000 bond.
