Two men from California found themselves ensnared by the law in Orange County, nabbed with a hefty haul of cannabis during what began as a routine traffic incident. ClickOrlando reported that Shuoliang Zhen, 40, and Yi Wen Chen, 35, were pulled over after committing a traffic violation on Monday afternoon. Specifically, they were spotted making an ill-judged left turn across multiple lanes on the intersection of Conroy Road and Vineland Road, which led to a disruption of the flow of traffic.
Zhen, behind the wheel of an SUV, confessed to not having identification and clarified that the vehicle was rented, during the stop, he seemed to be under a great deal of stress which was evidenced as he was "visibly shaking and slightly stuttering his words," according to the troopers mentioned in the ClickOrlando report, his passenger, Chen tried to remain inconspicuous, maintaining rigid posture and avoiding eye contact. It was after these initial signs of nervousness that a K-9 unit was called to the scene, where it didn't take long for the trained dog to signal the presence of contraband within the vehicle.
The ensuing search unearthed three large boxes in the SUV, each lined with vacuum-sealed bags approximating a pound of marijuana apiece; a total of around 46 pounds was seized by Florida Highway Patrol, as indicated by ClickOrlando. This finding led to the arrest of both Zhen and Chen on substantial charges, including cannabis possession and trafficking.
Zhen is currently being held on a bond of $30,500 and parallels drawn to Chen, who faces identical charges, detailed by DailyRidge.
