LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana State Police have credited one state trooper with making two drug busts just hours apart over the weekend.
The first bust happened when the trooper stopped a Chevrolet Cruze on I-94 Saturday at 7 a.m., near the Michigan City exit.
The trooper smelled and observed marijuana in the vehicle which led to a search. About one pound of pot products was found in the front seat, plus 60 grams of cocaine, 96 Xanax tablets and 76 Adderall tablets found elsewhere in the vehicle.
The driver, Daniel New, 24 from Colorado was arrested on several dealing and possession charges.
About nine hours later at 3:50 p.m., the same trooper tried to pull over a gray SUV on I-94 near a few miles east of the Michigan City exit. The driver kept going and got off on the Chesterton/Porter exit and onto State Road 49.
According to ISP, the driver then crashed near the entrance of the Indiana Dunes, where he was taken into custody.
The trooper found 17 pounds of marijuana plus over $10,000 in cash inside the vehicle.
The driver, Michael Lopez, 28, of Illinois was arrested on counts of dealing and possession, as well as resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and reckless driving.
Both men were booked into the LaPorte County Jail.
