A driver on the Turner Turnpike who was arrested and charged as the result of the seizure of 85 pounds of marijuana and who waived his preliminary hearing has entered a blind guilty plea and drawn a suspended prison term.
Formal charges of trafficking in illegal drugs were filed March 7, 2024 in Lincoln County District Court against Zeng Ling Wang, 49, of Frederick, Md. He appeared before Special Judge Emily Mueller and she set his bond at $75,000.
During his initial appearance he pleaded innocent to the charge.
Appearing before District Judge Sarah Bridge to make a plea, Wang entered a guilty blind plea. The judge received the plea and arguments were heard.
The judge foundWang guilty as charged. She sentenced him to years in the Department of Corrections with all time suspended. She handed him a $1,000 fine, $100 VCAand court costs and ordered him to obtain a drug and alcohol assessment and complete all recommended follow up treatment.
He was ordered to pay 991 fees. Wang was placed on supervised probation with DOC and told to report to the Probation Office and Court Clerk’s Office.
Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Thompson and Kelly Trimble prosecuted the case for the state and Wang was defended by the attorney of record.
StateTrooperMatthew Ludwig, in a probable cause affidavit, stated he made a traffic stop onWang after first observing him traveling in the left lane of travel with no vehicles in the right lane.
The trooper said he paced the vehicle driven by Wang going 53 miles per hour in a minimum 60 miles per hour zone.
Ludwig reported Wang’s vehicle immediately went to the left lane and then back to the right lane before stopping on the shoulder after he had activated his emergency equipment to conduct the traffic stop.
The trooper said as he made a passenger side approach, he could detect a strong odor of raw marijuana emitting from the truck bed under a tonneau bed cover.
During a probable cause search of the vehicle, the trooper stated he located three black trash bags with vacuum sealed bags of marijuana in the truck bed. He later weighed the marijuana which was approximately 85 pounds.
He transported Wang to the Lincoln County Jail in Chandler where was processed.