Californian bounty hunters busted with marijuana on Ohio Turnpike
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
By Morning Journal Staff
news@MorningJournal.comAMHERST TOWNSHIP — Two Californian bounty hunters and an Illinois man are facing drug charges after Highway Patrol troopers seized 69 pounds of hydroponic marijuana, valued at nearly $350,000, during a traffic stop in Lorain County.
Troopers stopped a white 2010 GMC Yukon, with Illinois registration, for a marked lanes violation on the Ohio Turnpike in Amherst Township about 8:42 p.m. on Friday, according to the Highway Patrol. The marijuana, stored in three Home Depot boxes, was discovered during a search.
The driver, Burim Aliu, 28, of Plainfield, Ill., and passengers Ricky Dang, 25, a certified bounty hunter, of West Covina, Calif., and self-proclaimed bounty hunter, Tung Kha, 36, of Alhambra, Calif., all were charged with possession of marijuana. The suspects were en route to New York.
They were taken to the Lorain County Jail, where they remained in custody last night. Bond was set at $100,000 for each of the men, according to records from the jail and Oberlin Municipal Court.
If convicted, they could each face up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, according to the Highway Patrol. The three each are due back in court for preliminary hearings at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The traffic stop was part of a routine patrol by troopers on the turnpike, said Sgt. Terry Helton of the Patrol’s District Three headquarters in Massillon.
The canine units work with traffic patrols on rotating duties in locations around northern Ohio, Helton said. The patrol’s drug dog that discovered the marijuana was a German shepherd named Johnny. The marijuana was taken to the patrol’s drug lab in Columbus for weighing, testing and analysis, Helton said.
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Not quite bright. Madi their occupations would have never been mentioned had they not claimed "bh", notice that the occupation of the driver was not specified.