HARTLEY, TX – A pair of alleged paranoid drug traffickers have found themselves in custody after calling 911 believing they were being followed. The drug traffickers were arrested after police found 129 bags of marijuana inside their vehicle.
In some police circles, there is a saying in involving drug-related arrests, “that’s why they call it dope.” The saying is something that holds true for members of the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office when they received a 911 call from a pair of reported drug traffickers.
The Sheriff’s Office reported the two had been up for at least three days and high on methamphetamine. Police believe that the pair became paranoid because of the drug intoxication as well as not sleeping for several days.
The two, who were not identified, had allegedly been driving a pickup truck headed to Alabama when they believed they were being followed. Out of panic, one of the two called 911 asking for help from law enforcement who told them to meet with a deputy at the Hitching Post gas station in Hartley.
The Hartley County Sheriff's Office said the suspects called around midnight to say they were being followed.https://t.co/LFUJDVl8MW
— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) January 1, 2023
Instead of driving to the gas station as they were directed by the 911 operator, the pair saw a marked Hartley County Sheriff’s vehicle on the highway and immediately stopped. According to the news release from the Sheriff’s Office, the pair came running at the deputy’s vehicle. The news release said:
“A vehicle stopped in the roadway and two subjects ran towards the Deputies vehicle in an aggressive manner.”
The deputy, who had no idea what was occurring, drew a firearm and ordered the two to the ground. The two complied and the deputy was able to secure them in handcuffs while they determined what was occurring:
“They were ordered down on the ground at gun point and placed in hand cuffs.”
After the pair were handcuffed, they allegedly spontaneously uttered that there was “marijuana’ inside the truck. When the officers searched the truck, they allegedly located 129 one-pound bags of marijuana which were in three totes and a suitcase.
Deputies questioned the men who admitted they were driving to Alabama to deliver the marijuana. They claimed they were coming from Kansas, however, Hartley County Sheriff Chanze Fowler believes they were actually coming from Colorado based on the direction they were traveling.
According to the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office, both men were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. It is unclear if the two men have any type of criminal history or not concerning drug trafficking.
Hartley County Sheriff's Office: While you slept last night, our office received a 911 call reporting that the caller was being followed. They requested a deputy who advised they stop at the Hitchin Post gas station in Hartley. A vehicle stopped in the roadway and two subject… pic.twitter.com/RLzDX2tsUR
— The Dalhart Texan (@thedalharttexan) December 31, 2022
While it is somewhat rare for criminals to call 911 on themselves, it does happen. Another recent case of a criminal calling police on themselves happened in December of 2022 when two people who were allegedly in the process of stealing furniture called the police for help.
The incident occurred on December 29th when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida received a 911 call. The caller was requesting the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to dispatch deputies to help them move what has allegedly stolen furniture to the airport.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they made contact with Martin Gonzalez-Garcia and his girlfriend, Ashializ Roldan-Oscasio. Deputies allegedly recognized Gonzalez-Garcia as having been involved in a burglary of a Dollar Tree on the 28th.
Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office determined that the furniture that the two were moving was stolen and placed both under arrest for the alleged theft. According to the New York Post, when questioned about why the two decided to call 911, especially given the situation, the Post wrote:
“When asked about the 911 call, Roldan-Oscasio said she was hoping a deputy would help the couple ‘move their belongings’ from the site and drop them off at the airport, where they planned to head to New York.”
The two were charged for their parts in the burglary and possession of the stolen property, something that Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said would not happen had they been in New York. Sheriff Judd said:
“You know in New York, they’re not going to hold you responsible for a minor burglary like that…nothing stolen out of the house. They’re gonna let you go. But ‘news flash,’ they weren’t in New York, they weren’t in Baltimore, they weren’t in Cleveland. They were in Polk County, Florida. And in Polk County, Florida, we lock you up.”
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