Traffic Stop in Pikeville Leads to Drug Trafficking Charges for Virgie Woman
PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A routine traffic stop in Pikeville last Wednesday ended with a Virgie woman facing multiple drug trafficking charges, according to police.
Officers with the Pikeville Police Department reported that a vehicle was pulled over after the officer said both the driver and passenger appeared to be riding without seat belts. During the stop, the officer noted that the two occupants seemed unusually nervous and requested permission to search the vehicle, which was granted.
When the passenger, identified in the citation as Madison Lashae Balo, 31, of Virgie, stepped out of the vehicle, she was carrying a black bag. The officer instructed her to leave the bag in the car so it could also be checked as part of the search.
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Inside the bag, police reported finding a bag containing suspected methamphetamine, a separate bag of suspected marijuana, an unmarked pill bottle, digital scales with a powdery residue, and what they described as a large amount of cash.
Balo was taken into custody and charged with three counts related to trafficking in controlled substances. She was lodged in the Pike County Detention Center, where records show she is being held on a $5,000 cash or property bond.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
