PERRYSBURG, OH (Toledo News Now) – A Michigan man is facing felony drug charges after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized 609 prescription pills, worth an estimated $15,000, following a traffic stop in Wood County.
Troopers stopped a 2012 Dodge Avenger with Illinois registration, for a speed violation on Interstate 75 near milepost 193, at 8:04 p.m. Wednesday. Troopers observed criminal indicators and a Patrol drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable cause search revealed 248 Oxycodone, 92 Hydrocodone and 279 Xanax pills in the trunk.
The driver, Leonard Charles Denson, 22, of Detroit, MI, was incarcerated in the Wood County Jail. He is charged with three counts of trafficking drugs: one third-degree felony and two fourth-degree felonies. He is also charged with three counts of possession of drugs: one third-degree felony and two fourth-degree felonies.
If convicted, Denson could face up to 14-and-a-half years in prison and up to a $35,000 fine.
Drug violations are up significantly this year. Through Dec. 1 OSHP has made 1,381 more drug arrests than during the same time period in 2010, a 24 percent increase in drug violations.
