Three Madisonville residents are facing multiple drug trafficking charges after a traffic stop on 69 in Mortons Gap early Tuesday morning led to the discovery of a significant quantity of drugs and paraphernalia.
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department reported that a deputy observed a car traveling northbound near the 108-mile marker, which veered off the interstate into the median and lost its rear bumper before returning to the road. After conducting a traffic stop, the deputy said he detected the smell of marijuana and asked the driver, 42-year-old Dane Branscum, along with passengers 35-year-old Katherine Browning and 38-year-old James Scott, to exit the vehicle.
During a search of the car, deputies said they found a small bag of suspected meth between the driver’s seat and center console, along with two large bags containing about 1.8 pounds of suspected meth. They also reportedly discovered drug paraphernalia, a bottle of Morphine sulfate, an unlabeled prescription bottle with 72 pills suspected to be Gabapentin, a bag of suspected marijuana weighing about 18 grams, two bags of THC gummies, and syringes. Additionally, deputies found drug paraphernalia, a small bag of suspected meth, and a large amount of cash on the individuals.
Scott, Browning, and Branscum were taken into custody and charged with trafficking meth, trafficking pills, possession of marijuana and a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were lodged in the Hopkins County Jail.
