Karine Rodriguez

Two 22-year-old women were arrested on drug charges early Tuesday morning after a deputy stopped a car whose driver ran a stop sign.

Amber Lechae Hinton, 1910 Westmead St., Decatur, Ala., and Karine Lee Rodriguez, 3088 Antique Oaks Circle, Winter Park, Fla., were each charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Hinton also was charged with failure to stop at a stop sign.

Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office reports said that a deputy was stopped at a four-way intersection at Highway 37 East and Cool Springs Road when a 2001 Suzuki Vitara approached the four-way stop. Hinton, traveling west on Highway 37, went through the intersection without stopping and the deputy made a traffic stop a short distance from that location.

“During the stop, he smelled an odor consistent with the odor of marijuana,” said Inv. David Corona of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Drug Enforcement Team. “After further investigation he (located) a pill bottle which had marijuana in it.”

A further search of the car turned up a backpack containing a plastic bag with four plastic sandwich bags containing more suspected marijuana, reports said.

The total weight of the suspected marijuana is more than an ounce, Corona said. A digital scale also was located in the vehicle.

A check initially indicated that the Suzuki had been reported stolen, but later officers determined that it was registered to Hinton and not stolen.