223 pounds of marijuana seized in Montco

LANSDALE, Pa. - September 29, 2011 (WPVI) -- Police in Montgomery County have arrested a man on drug charges and seized approximately 223 pounds of marijuana.

40-year-old Andre Lue has been charged with Possession of a controlled substance, Possession with the Intent to Deliver and Delivery of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

At around 12:54 a.m. Wednesday, Lansdale Borough Police Officer David Gori, also as a member of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Drug Task Force, was on patrol in a marked police vehicle in the Pavilion Shopping Center located at 535 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Police say Officer Gori came upon a tractor trailer parked along a fence line in the southern section of the parking lot near a daycare.

Officer Gori observed one of the rear hinged doors was open in the trailer portion of the rig, and there was a silver Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck backed up to the rear of the tractor-trailer. Officer Gori observed an individual, standing in between the Tacoma pick-up truck and the tractor-trailer, who appeared to be loading something from the back of the trailer into a pickup truck. Officer Gori considered this suspicious activity given the early morning hours and the location where this was occurring.

When Officer Gori attempted to get a closer look to further observe the suspicious activity, it is believed the suspect spotted the marked police vehicle and drove his 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck away at a high rate of speed.

The driver abandoned the vehicle at Total Body Fitness, located at 611 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Backup units arrived including Upper Moreland Police K-9 Officer Rems and K-9 Dex. K-9 Dex is a K-9 trained in drug detection. K-9 Dex walked around the exterior of the Toyota Tacoma and alerted to the odor of illegal drugs several times around the side of the truck bed and the rear tailgate. The Toyota Tacoma was then impounded and secured by police.

Members of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) responded and assisted Lansdale Police with the investigation.

The driver and owner of the tractor trailer, Lue of Lansdale, was discovered in the hallway of an apartment building near his tractor trailer.

Lue is a self-employed, cross country truck driver with routes from California to the East Coast.

An investigation ensued and it was determined the abandoned Toyota Tacoma pickup truck contained seven large bails of marijuana wrapped in cellophane. Two additional large bails of marijuana wrapped in cellophane were discovered in the rear portion of the tractor trailer.

The estimated weight of the Marijuana is 223 pounds with a street value of approximately $223,000. The tractor trailer and the pickup truck were seized by detectives.

Police are continuing to search for the driver of the pickup truck, who fled the scene and has avoided apprehension.

The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Lansdale Police Department at (215) 368-1801.

Andre Lue was arraigned and bail was set at $500,000 cash. Lue was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing for Lue is scheduled for October 27, 2011.

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pennsylvania, montgomery county, lansdale, marijuana, crime

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