HIAWASSEE - What started as a routine traffic stop ended in a three-agency investigation that resulted in one arrest and the seizure of drugs worth an estimated $5,000 on the street.
The case started with a traffic stop by the Hiawassee Police Department on Thursday, according to Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Mitchell Posey of the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO).
Posey said the stop was related to a motor vehicle violation. The driver, 32-year-old Tonya Marie Bouler, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, gave officers consent to search the vehicle, according to Posey.
Investigators said they found about three ounces of methamphetamine, some marijuana, $1,100 cash, three sets of digital scales and drug packaging material. The drugs were found in two magnetic boxes on the underside of the car, according to Posey.
In addition, authorities said they found numerous pills in the car. They were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Lab for analysis.
Bouler was being held in the Towns County Detention Center of charges of trafficking methamphetamine and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
In addition to Hiawassee Police and the ARDEO, the Towns County Sheriff's Office was involved in the investigation.
Posey said additional arrests and charges in the case are pending.
