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A routine traffic stop along a Tennessee highway earlier this week turned into a drug bust when officers found illegal substances in an odd place: a box of cereal.
When troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol noticed a car driving slowly along Maynardsville Highway in Union County and hindering the normal flow of traffic around 5:45 p.m. Sunday (December 19), they initiated a traffic stop near Sharps Chapel Road. During the stop, the driver gave troopers consent to search the vehicle after the driver and passenger reportedly told conflicting stories to the authorities, per WKRN. An incident report also states that troopers were unable to confirm the passenger's identity.
During the search, troopers found a box of Cap'n Crunch cereal in the rear floorboard, and a further investigation revealed it contained two bags totaling 7.4 ounces of methamphetamine and one bag with 1 ounce of heroin.
Troopers took the men, Christopher Clark and Joseph Cottrell, both 36 years old and from Evarts, Kentucky, into custody. They were booked into Union County Jail and charged with Felony Possession of Schedule 1 and Schedule II narcotics, while Clark faces additional charges of impeding traffic.
While the idea of police finding a large amount of drugs hidden inside a box of food seems like it would be a unique situation, it actually isn't. In fact, just last week, officers in East Tennessee found meth stuffed inside a box of frozen lasagna during a warrant search of a Monroe County residence.