Columbia County deputies seize 26 pounds of pot-laced edibles

LAKE CITY, Fla. – Deputies uncovered a trove of edible items laced with illegal drugs during a traffic stop on Tuesday morning, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies searched the vehicle and found more than 26 pounds of marijuana edibles, three pounds of mushrooms, a rifle and cash.

The driver, 24-year-old Christopher Clark of Mobile, Alabama was arrested on drug trafficking of over 25 pounds of marijuana and carrying a concealed firearm, deputies said. The passengers, 23-year-old David Harris and 25-year-old Jessenia Milano Rodriguez, both of Marietta, Georgia, were arrested on the charge of carrying concealed firearms.

The Sheriff’s Office said Clark told deputies they were transporting the edibles to a festival in Tampa for sale.

“These drugs were packaged in a manner that would attract children to them. Keeping drugs off our streets is important, but our kids’ safety is our utmost priority,” said Sheriff Mark Hunter.

News4Jax sent photos of the drugs to Mike Dubet, a special agent with the DEA.

“This is packaged in a manner to truly conceal what it really is,” Dubet said. “It’s packaged to make it look like a candy store.”

Dubet said people who are buying the drugs might not be aware that the edibles could contain more than marijuana.

“You have no idea what’s in there, and you may be playing Russian roulette with your body," he said.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is a member of the Gateway High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area team. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the program was formed to provide assistance to law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions.


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