Troopers make 50 pound marijuana bust on mid-Missouri interstate

A Florida man is expected to appear in Cooper County court next month after the Missouri State Highway Patrol accuses him of drug distribution.

A counsel hearing is scheduled for Andrew M. Schmitt , 33, of Atlantic Beach, Florida at the Cooper County Courthouse Tuesday, April 4, at 1 p.m.

Schmitt was charged this week in mid-Missouri with a class C felony count of delivery of a controlled substance.

According to the Highway Patrol, troopers stopped Schmitt near mile-marker 98 on eastbound Interstate 70 in Cooper County just after 10 p.m. Monday.

The responding trooper said he pulled Schmitt over after he failed to stay in a single lane.

Schmitt also couldn’t provide an answer to what he was doing in Colorado after troopers questioned his claim that he had spent two extra days in that state.

A probable cause statement obtained by ABC 17 News shows a fixed license plate reader on I-70 caught Schmitt traveling westbound on I-70 in Boone County around 3:25 p.m. Sunday, which conflicted with what he told the trooper.

The Highway Patrol said it was denied permission to search Schmitt’s truck, but a drug sniffing dog brought to the traffic stop was able to detect an odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle.

A probable cause search conducted by troopers led to the discovery of about 49 pounds of marijuana and 1 1/2 pounds of THC shatter — a type of marijuana extract known to contain a high concentration of THC.

After the search, troopers said Schmitt was placed under arrest and that he admitted the marijuana was his.

Schmitt has since been released from the Cooper County Jail on bond.