Florida man charged with drug distribution in mid-Missouri

A Florida man who was arrested Monday afternoon on Interstate 70 in mid-Missouri is facing drug-related charges, said authorities.

Alberto L. Martinez-Aguiar was charged Tuesday in Cooper County with felony drug distribution and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. The Missouri State Highway Patrol took Martinez-Aguiar into custody after a traffic stop near the 95.5-mile marker.

According to a probable cause statement, troopers stopped a vehicle in which Martinez-Aguiar was a passenger on eastbound I-70 after the driver crossed the center line. During the stop, a highway patrol trooper reported smelling marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

After the owner of the vehicle consented to a search of the car, troopers said they found 10 pounds of marijuana vacuum-sealed inside a duffel bag in the trunk. The marijuana will be tested at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory in Jefferson City.

Troopers said Martinz-Aguiar admitted that he purchased the marijuana in Colorado, and not the driver of the car.

Martinez-Aguiar is being held in the Cooper County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.