Illinois man charged with trafficking $350K worth of meth through Phenix City, sheriff says
A 22-year old Illinois man is behind bars after deputies found a large quantity of methamphetamine in his vehicle during a traffic stop, officials announced in a press conference Friday.
Cineros Gustavo, of University Park, Illinois, was driving on 431 S in Phenix City when a sheriff’s deputy stopped his vehicle for failure to use a turn signal near Renfroe’s Market, said Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor.
After pulling over the vehicle, deputies attempted to speak with Gustavo before deploying K9 officer, Xito. The dog alerted the deputies that drugs were present and they located six large Ziploc bags of meth in a box on the backseat of the vehicle, Taylor said.
The drugs have a street value of between $350,000-$390,000, Taylor said.
Gustavo was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and taken into custody. He’s being held at the Russell County Detention Facility awaiting trial.
Taylor said he expects to see a spike in drug use over the upcoming holiday weekend.
“It’s always heavy around holiday weekends,” Taylor said. “With more drug use means a higher possibility for drug overdoses. We really hope we don’t see that happening this weekend but we know (there’s) a chance it will.”
Investigators believe the drugs were heading for Dothan, citing a spike in 431 as a route for traffickers in recent years. But Taylor said that doesn’t stop their fight in curbing drugs in the Phenix City community.
“We are definitely seeing more traffickers taking rural routes like 431 and passing through our community,” Taylor said. “With three major highways running right through Phenix City, more traffickers are opting out of taking highways like 85 or 65 to avoid being stopped. However, no matter the amount, we are not going to stand down in our fight to keep drugs off the streets here in Phenix City.”
This the second major drug bust in two weeks for the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Taylor. On June 16, officers with the Russell County Sheriff’s office seized two pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop, leading to the arrest of Ronnie Griffin Jr., of Phenix City.
