Five suspects were arrested after police discovered several pounds of cocaine and marijuana during a drug bust last week.
The Columbia SWAT Team carried out the order for search warrants at the 800 block of St. Charles Road, 1000 block of Old Highway 63 North and 2500 block of Carol Drive.
Police arrested Leopoldo Nava-Nava, Gonzalo Nava-Nava, Marco Reyes-Estrada, Javier Rubi-Pedroza and Rhiannan Perkins on felony drug trafficking charges in relation to the incidents. Besides Perkins, who was arrested while authorities were searching the residence on Saint Charles Road, all tried to evade police or were arrested via a traffic stop.
Missouri has the toughest stance on recognizing disparities in possession of a substance like crack cocaine. In Missouri, if someone is convicted of selling 6 grams of crack, they will be sentenced to the same prison term — 10 years — as someone who sells 75 times that amount in cocaine, which is equal to 450 grams.
This development represents trends of a growing occurrence in the sale or possession of cocaine or marijuana arrests over the last year.
According to the MSHP WebFocus Report, there were 64 arrests for attempting to sell or possession of the drug. In contrast, September of last year saw 192 arrests for the same crimes. Last month there were 126 arrests for possession of marijuana and cocaine.
