St. Petersburg man busted for drugs during traffic stop

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- A St. Petersburg man is behind bars after a routine traffic stop turned into a drug bust.

On Thursday, deputies pulled over 29-year-old Ryan Saxon on I-75 near mile marker 132 for speeding and following too closely.

During the stop, the deputy could smell marijuana. A K-9 deputy also alerted to the presence of illegal drugs in the vehicle during a roadside sniff.

During a search, 41 vacuum sealed bags of marijuana weighing a total of 48.6 pounds were discovered inside the trunk of the vehicle.

Authorities say the marijuana was vacuumed sealed and labeled in different strains consistent with distribution. Officials say the marijuana had a potential street value of nearly $200,000.

Saxon is now facing charges of trafficking marijuana and possession with intent to distribute.