A federal grand jury in Texarkana, Ark., has indicted two Somerset, Kentucky men allegedly caught with 56 kilos of cocaine during a traffic stop in October.
The two-count indictment handed down in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas accuses Johnnie Adams, 37, and Curtis Troxtle, 34, of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday after the men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant for arraignment.
According to court records, Adams and Troxtle entered pleas of not guilty to both counts Wednesday. Texarkana attorney Marshall Wood stood in for Adams’ and Troxtle’s attorneys. Adams is represented by John Wesley Hall of Little Rock and Troxtle is represented by Cory Floyd of Texarkana. Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones is prosecuting the case.
The two men were arrested Oct. 29 following a traffic stop on Interstate 30 in Hempstead County.
Adams and Troxtle, were pulled over for following too closely behind a semi-truck on Interstate 30 by Arkansas State Police. A state trooper called in a drug-sniffing dog after being given conflicting accounts regarding their travels by the two men. After being told that the car would be searched, Adams allegedly yelled, “We are mules and the car is loaded.”
Inside the Explorer officers recovered a suitcase and a duffel bag stuffed with 56 packages of cocaine weighing about 2.2 pounds each. The men allegedly told a member of the Drug Enforcement Agency that Adams rented the SUV after his private plane broke down in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The men allegedly admitted that they made trips moving cash and drugs between McAllen, Texas, and Detroit, Michigan, on multiple occasions.
Troxtle and Adams are currently free on unsecured $5,000 appearance bonds. They must wear GPS ankle monitors and report to federal probation officials. Adams is not permitted to pilot any aircraft while his case is pending.
The indictment includes a notice of forfeiture for two semi-automatic pistols and for Troxtle’s plane, a 1975 Piper PA-32R-300 fixed-wing single engine aircraft.
The case is scheduled for a jury trial Jan. 28 before U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey. Possession with intent to distribute cocaine is punishable by a fine up to $10 million, 10 years to life in federal prison, or both. Carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000, five years to life in federal prison, or both. Any sentence for the firearm offense must be served consecutive to any prison term for the drug offense.
