By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily
If there were a criminals’ handbook, you would think there would be a chapter on the importance of driving the speed limit when hauling illegal drugs.
It’s always preferable to go the speed limit, but when getting pulled over could mean facing decades in prison, it might be advisable to follow the rules of the road.
In other words, when breaking the law, it may be smart to be a good citizen and not break more laws.
Sadly for Edras Pantoja-Villafranca and Luis Ramon Medina-Sauceda, there is no chapter or handbook.
According to documents filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Cheyenne, everything was going fine for the duo as they were happily traveling across the state of Wyoming when they were clocked at 89 mph in a 75 mph zone.
That’s usually just a speeding ticket.
But there were a few clues that gave drew the suspicion of a Uinta County Sheriff’s deputy.
There was the issue of all the front windows of the suspect’s car being down. In 20-degree weather. Which allowed giant billowing marijuana clouds to escape the cab.
Then there was the issue of the valid drivers’ license. The driver didn’t have one. Neither did the passenger, but the driver has to have one.
Then there was the issue of the pound of fentanyl, half-pound of cocaine, and 12 ounces of methamphetamine in the vehicle.
Perhaps it was a misunderstanding and Pantoja-Villafranca and Medina-Sauceda thought the Wyoming State Legislature legalized these substances this past session. (The Legislature did not).
Perhaps it’s all circumstantial evidence.
Perhaps, but then there’s the issue of the text messages on both of their phones discussing drug sales.
Both men are 100% innocent, of course, until proven guilty.
They are awaiting a trial on their charges in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne.
