June 1, 2007 By Alan J. Keays Herald Staff
Rutland Herald (Vermont, USA)A traffic stop on Interstate 89 in Hartford for speeding has led to one of the largest pot busts in Windsor County history. Police said they seized 65 pounds of marijuana, valued at $250,000, from the vehicle's trunk.
The two men in the car were arrested, including the driver, whom Vermont State Police said seemed surprised after the vehicle's truck was opened and revealed black bags filled with marijuana.
"(The driver) stated 'What is that?'" State Police Trooper Kevin Duggan, who made the traffic stop early Wednesday morning, wrote in an affidavit.
The trooper wrote that inside the trunk he found two large black plastic bags, each containing 30 smaller plastic bags holding a little more than 1 pound of marijuana per bag. In total, police said they seized about 65 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $250,000.
Windsor County State's Attorney Robert Sand said the bust was "the largest that I can recall" in the county, although "It's possible that there was another seizure that didn't necessarily make it to my radar screen."
In fact, federal authorities have prosecuted larger busts. In August 2004, federal border patrol agents staffing a checkpoint on Interstate 91 in White River Junction stopped a vehicle containing 150 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $500,000. In that case, federal charges were filed and the Vermont man was eventually sentenced to two years in prison.
The two men arrested early Wednesday morning were brought to White River Junction District Court for arraignment later that day.
However, the hearings were delayed until Thursday to allow time for the court to get an interpreter who can speak Khmer for the suspects, both born in Cambodia.
Attorneys for Khuon Bunnara, 50, of Montreal, and Chea Houng, 40, of Lowell, Mass., entered innocent pleas on their clients' behalf to felony charges of marijuana possession. If convicted, the two men each face up to 15 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
Khuon and Chea were each ordered jailed for lack of $50,000 bail.
The court-appointed attorneys representing the two men had sought to have their clients released on conditions, or at least lower bail.
Jordana Levine, Chea's public defender, said in court that her client has several family members living in Lowell, including his mother. She said Chea has lived in Lowell since 1991.
"While Mr. Chea is not a naturalized resident he does hold a permanent resident status," Levine said. "He wants to stay in the United States and eventually become a United States citizen."
Wayne Young, an attorney representing Khuon, said there is "no way" his client could post the $50,000 bail, and asked the judge to consider a lower bail amount around $15,000 to $25,000.
Sand argued in the both cases that seriousness of the charges as well as the lack of ties of the two men to Vermont necessitated the $50,000 bail requests. The prosecutor said federal authorities have expressed "interest" in the case.
Acting Judge Michael Kainen agreed with Sand, adding that the amount of marijuana seized suggests that there is "a fair amount of money somewhere."
According to the affidavit, the incident leading to the arrest began around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday when Duggan clocked a vehicle traveling south on Interstate 89 in Hartford at 79 mph in a 65-mph zone.
The trooper wrote that he tried to pull the vehicle over, turning on his siren and lights, however, the vehicle continued on for about a mile before eventually stopping.
Khuon, the vehicle's driver, told the trooper the vehicle belonged to his uncle, the affidavit stated. Khuon also appeared to be shaking and was having difficulty answering questions.
"The affidavit stated that they said they came from the Mohawk Casino in Vermont, and that was one of the issues that sparked some suspicion from the trooper, of course it's not in Vermont, it's in New York," Sand said.
Khuon also said he was heading to Lowell, Mass., to drop off the vehicle with his uncle, but he had "no explanation on how he was getting back to Canada," Duggan wrote.
"While speaking with (Khuon), I did not observe any luggage in the vehicle," the trooper wrote. "I found this to be strange because of the long distance in travel, and no luggage or clothes that were visible to me."
After writing the speeding ticket, the trooper wrote that he asked Khoun if he would open the vehicle's trunk and he did so "without hesitation."
Inside the trunk, Duggan wrote, he found the bags filled with marijuana.
Contact Alan J. Keays alan.keays@rutlandherald.com.
