C.A.T. Team Makes Codeine Bust On Interstate 10
Lake Charles, La. - On March 7 the Combined Anti-Drug Task Force (C.A.T. Team) stopped a car traveling eastbound on I-10 near mile marker 42 for a traffic violation.
According to CPSO’s Kim Myers, the driver of the car, Jameson Smith, 26, Jackson, MS, began acting suspiciously when stopped by authorities. After officers spoke with the two passengers, Kyle Paige, 26, and Javier Prophet, 23, both of Jackson, MS, who were also acting suspiciously and had conflicting stories about their travels. Officers asked permission to search the car but Smith refused.
A drug detection K-9 did a free air sniff around the car, and detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the vehicle. Officers searched the car and found fifty-five (55) 16 ounce bottles, approximately 6.8 gallons, of non-prescribed Codeine, with an estimated street value of $88,000, concealed inside three separate luggage bags in the rear cargo area of the car. Also located in one of the luggage bags was $4,130, hidden inside a Crown Royal bag, said Myers.
Smith, Paige, and Prophet were arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with possession of CDS V with the intent to distribute. The men were all released on a $10,000 bond.