Gainesville Police arrested a Largo man Monday morning after he reportedly had about 12 pounds of marijuana in his car.
At about 9:35 a.m. Monday, 36-year-old Ponce Deleon Collins followed a car too closely while traveling on State Road 93, according to a police report.
An officer working with the Alachua County Drug Task Force then pulled over Collins’ silver Kia, according to the report. The officer asked to search the car after he noticed Collins’ hands shaking, but Collins said he didn’t have anything in the car and wouldn’t allow police to search it, according to the report.
Another officer reportedly arrived and walked around the car with a police dog, which eventually smelled drugs.
An officer searched the car and found about 12 pounds of weed inside a green military bag stowed in the trunk, according to the report.
Since 1996, Collins has received 18 traffic infractions for offenses such as speeding, driving carelessly and running a stop sign, according to Pinellas County court records.
This year, he was found guilty on charges of obstructing an officer without violence and possessing cocaine within 1,000 feet of a place of worship, according to Pinellas County.
Police arrested Collins for marijuana possession with intent to sell and took him to the Alachua County Jail, where as of press time, he remains without bond.
Contact Giuseppe Sabella at gsabella@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Gsabella
