Pineville man's drug arrest sparks probe that sees him arrested again with 2 others
A Pineville man arrested on drug charges after a December traffic stop was arrested again a month later — with two other men — after an investigation prompted by his first arrest.
According to the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office, a deputy with a K-9 stopped Guangyi He, 36, for two minor traffic violations, having a modified exhaust and improper lane usage, on Dec. 6. As the deputy was talking to He, he "could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
"Deputies deployed the K-9 and conducted an open air sniff on the vehicle and alerted to presence of narcotics in the driver’s side door," reads the release.
A metal container holding a small amount of marijuana was found inside the driver's door, it reads. Also found were four cardboard boxes in the bed of the Nissan Titan that held vacuumed-sealed bags of what the sheriff office called "high-grade marijuana" weighing 51 pounds.
He was arrested and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center #1 on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. He left jail the next day after posting a $100,200 bond.
But the amount of marijuana confiscated spurred the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement agents to begin an investigation into He and, on Jan. 5, it ended with the arrests of He and two other people in a Pineville parking lot.
Also arrested were Preston Lee Hansen, 28, and Evan Michael Thomas, 21, both of Alexandria.
When agents arrested the trio, they found 6 pounds of marijuana and "large sums of cash," reads the release.
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Three search warrants were served in the Pineville area after the arrests, finding another 64 pounds of marijuana, about $35,000 in cash, five firearms — two AK-47-type weapons, two handguns and one pump shotgun — bottles of anabolic steroids and assorted drug paraphernalia, it reads.
He was booked on charges of distribution of marijuana, possession of steroids with intent to distribute, possessing firearms with drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses. He remains in jail with bail set at $660,500.
He has a Feb. 22 court date on a motion for preliminary exam, which seeks to determine if there is probable cause to proceed with the case against him.
Hansen was booked on a charge of distribution of more than 2.5 pounds of marijuana. He remains in jail with bail set at $300,000.
He has a court date set for Jan. 22 on a motion to reduce his bail, according to online Rapides Parish Clerk of Court records.
Both He and Hansen are represented by attorney Phillip Robinson, according to court records. Neither has been formally charge yet.
Thomas was booked on a charge of possession of more than 2.5 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute. He was released the next day after posting a $10,000 bond.
According to the release, the "investigation is still ongoing, and more arrests are possible.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Pineville man's drug arrest starts probe that results in 2nd arrest
