By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Brandon Police Department (BPD) issued a press release on Friday, August 9 to notify the public that a significant quantity of drugs had been seized as part of an investigation into illicit activity in the parking lot of the 802 Spirits liquor store on Conant Square in Brandon. The seized material included powder cocaine, crack cocaine, liquid cocaine, fentanyl, meth, prescription depressants, drug paraphernalia, U.S. currency, and handgun ammunition. The street value of the narcotics is estimated to be $28,000.
According to BPD, the investigation began on the evening of Tuesday, August 6, when BPD received a report of possible illegal activity taking place in a vehicle in the aforementioned parking lot.
Upon arrival, officers determined that the female driver of the vehicle was under the influence of narcotics. She was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs. BPD’s K-9 unit, Guinness, was brought in to conduct an open-air “sniff search” of the vehicle. Guinness alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, at which point BPD requested a search warrant from Rutland County Superior Court-Criminal Division.
With the warrant in hand, BPD conducted a thorough search of the vehicle on Wednesday, August 7. The search uncovered the narcotics listed above.
An investigation into the source of the seized material is ongoing. BPD anticipates that criminal charges will ultimately be brought against the involved parties, for both possession and trafficking.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
