Thousands of illegal drugs and drug-related items were seized during a traffic stop in Hamilton County last week. The Nebraska State Patrol says on Friday afternoon troopers stopped a Chevy Yukon around 2:00 after running a stop sign when getting off of I-80 near Giltner.
Officials say during the stop, the passenger gave probable reason for the troopers to conduct a search of the vehicle. During the search approximately 4,100 drug items were found, including thousands of marijuana edibles, THC liquid and a small amount of cocaine.
The driver, 29 year old Jonathan Rodriguez, and his passenger, 28 year old David Batchelder, both of California, were arrested. The men were taken to the Hamilton County Jail and face charges of Possession of Hashish Oil, Possession with Intent to Deliver, Marijuana Possession between one ounce and one pound, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and No Drug Tax Stamp. Rodriguez also faces an additional charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Authorities say the drugs had a street value of about $60,000.