House search nets marijuana; 2 arrested

VW independent

Two men were arrested on felony marijuana possession charges following the search of a Van Wert residence on Wednesday.

Gabriel A. Palacios, 20, of Stockton, California, and Chancellor S. Nelson, 20, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, were both arrested on one count of possession of marijuana, a felony of the third degree. Both men were taken to the Van Wert County Correctional Facility until they make an initial appearance in Van Wert Municipal Court. Palacios is also being held on a warrant issued in Municipal Court on a charge of criminal damaging.

Sheriff Thomas M. Riggenbach said a short-term investigation by the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force and Lima-Allen County Interdiction Task Force indicated that a residence at 509 S. Shannon St. possibly would be receiving a package that contained illegal drugs.

Officers set up surveillance on the house to see if the package would be delivered, with the surveillance team reporting that two men arrived at the residence, picked up the package, and went into the house. Officers then served a search warrant at the residence and located several vacuum-sealed packages that contained what is suspected to be marijuana. Sheriff Riggenbach said the suspected marijuana weighed 6.8 pounds and was valued at approximately $15,000. Investigators also found several smaller packages of suspected marijuana believed already packaged for sale.

Other items found at the house include more than $1,400 in cash, a small amount of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and two cell phones.

The sheriff said an investigation is continuing into the case and additional charges could be filed.

A nuisance abatement letter was also sent to the property owner of the South Shannon Street address to make the owner aware of what occurred at the house.

The sheriff also asked local residents who have information on drug activity or other criminal activity to call his office at 419.238.3866, use his website at www.vanwertcountysherifff.com and click on the “Submit a Crime Tip” link or call Crime Stoppers at 419.238.STOP. Those submitted a crime tip can remain anonymous.