A man asleep at the wheel of an SUV leads to what Hobart-Lawrence police call the largest drug bust in its history
LAWRENCE - It started as a guy sleeping at the wheel of an SUV at a southern Brown County Kwik Trip around midnight.
Two weeks later, as police have sorted out their findings, Hobart-Lawrence police say the March arrest turns out to have been the largest drug bust the department has ever made. Among the items seized by police include marijuana and five types of dangerous drugs, enough cash to buy a new car and four handguns.
At least one person is in jail in connection with the case, which began with the arrest March 29 of a man who nodded off in the driver's seat of an SUV parked at a gas pump island at the Kwik Trip on Freedom Road, just west of Interstate 41. Someone notified sheriff's dispatchers that the driver of a car at the station appeared to have been asleep at the gas pumps for roughly an hour.
Officers "had to wake the guy up," Hobart-Lawrence Police Chief Randy Bani said. "When he woke up, his hands came out of his pocket, and drug paraphernalia was visible."
It's fortunate, police say, that someone made that telephone call.
Police say they took thousands of dollars' worth of illicit drugs off the street, as well as four loaded handguns and ammunition.
The drug haul was destined for Brown County, and would likely have been sold locally, police said. They wouldn't release the man's name because the investigation is continuing, but Lt. Matt Ronk of the Brown County Drug Task Force said authorities believe the man intended to deal drugs in the county.
What was going to be sold? Police said the man's "stash" included significant amounts of cocaine, as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl, LSD, marijuana, heroin, drug paraphernalia and about $50,000 in cash.
In addition to the illegal drugs, police seized what they called "a large amount" of prescription medications and designer pills.
Police said the man brought $20,000 to $30,000 worth of drugs into the county, though the value of the substances could reach much higher depending how it is packaged and distributed. Ronk said a gram of cocaine can sell for about $100, while an ounce of the stimulant can fetch between $1,300 and $1,800 depending on how pure it is, where it is sold and other factors.
A quantity of illegal drugs will sell for significantly more in Upper Michigan than in northeastern Wisconsin, Ronk said.
While the arrest was good news for law enforcement in Hobart and elsewhere in Brown County, Bani doesn't pretend that this arrest will make the use of illicit drugs in the region go away. He said police have seen the flow of drugs into the region increase in the past five years; the same improved highway system that make it so families can reach vacation destinations more quickly also makes it easier for drug sellers to reach customers in the region.
Police also confiscated the 2019 Ford Explorer the man had been driving. Such a vehicle can retail for between $28,000 and $35,000 in this region, depending on mileage and condition.
Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: SUV search in Lawrence leads police to guns, thousands' worth of drugs
