Cyclist nabbed with bags of marijuana

It began as a simple traffic stop. The local man was riding his bicycle against traffic on Park Avenue when Houma Police stopped him last Friday around 4:10 p.m.

But when Ronald Brown, 18, of 189 B Gouaux Ave., Houma, began acting nervous, officers suspected he was guilty of more than bad cycling.

Public Information Officer Lt. Todd Duplantis said officers could see a cellophane bag containing marijuana hanging out of the Brown’s pocket. When he tried to get away from police, the officers wrestled him to the ground, the spokesman said. That’s when the marijuana fell out of his pocket and onto the ground, he explained.

Upon closer inspection, police found 17 bags of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana in the inside pocket of his jacket, Duplantis said. They also found a larger plastic bag with 15 smaller cellophane bags containing marijuana inside his coat. And inside Brown’s sleeve, Duplantis said officers found another large plastic bag with six smaller bags inside also containing suspected marijuana.

The total weight of the suspected marijuana seized for evidence weighed approximately 142.1 grams, which is valued on the streets at $700, he said.

Brown was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer and driving a bicycle against traffic. He was transported to the Terrebonne Parish Jail.