Three Wisconsin men have been charged with felony counts of possession of THC after numerous products containing the controlled substance were allegedly located in their vehicle during a traffic stop on the interstate.
On January 6 at around 4:15 p.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling near mile marker 197 on I-90 when he observed a passenger vehicle traveling in excess of the posted speed limit. Radar recorded the vehicle’s speed as 89 mph in an 80 mph zone.
The trooper reports initiating a traffic stop and making contact with the three occupants of the vehicle. The driver was allegedly holding his identification and was unsure why he had been stopped; when advised it was for speed, he denied traveling over 80 mph.
The driver was unable to provide his registration or insurance but provided a Wisconsin driver’s license identifying him as Ioannis Gerasimos Tselentis.
The trooper reports asking for the passenger’s identification due to him not wearing a seatbelt, which identified him as Spyrangelos Theofilos Tselentis. Spryangelos allegedly denied not having his seatbelt on.
During this encounter, the trooper reports noticing the smell of raw marijuana. Based on this and the missing documents, he asked the driver to exit the vehicle.
While conducting a standard check with dispatch, the trooper spoke with Ioannis and learned he had traveled to Los Angeles for new year and was traveling home. The front seat passenger was his brother and the back seat passenger was his cousin.
Ioannis allegedly claimed he had insurance but did not have any documentation and denied there being any marijuana in the vehicle.
The trooper reports advising Ioannis that he could smell marijuana both in the vehicle and on his person. He informed Ioannis that he would be conducting a probable cause search.
Ioannis allegedly admitted to having marijuana in a bag in the front door and offered to retrieve it. He was searched and placed in the patrol vehicle, while Spyrangelos was also asked to exit the vehicle, searched and placed in a second trooper’s vehicle.
The probable cause search allegedly led to the discovery of containers of THC and a vape pen containing suspected THC oil in the front portion of the vehicle. In the passenger seat behind the driver, the trooper reports locating a backpack containing several containers with THC labels for products including tincture, cartridges, tablets and a vape pen, as well as a suspected marijuana cigar.
A second bag was also allegedly located containing more packages of assorted THC products. Numerous empty containers with residue were also located throughout the vehicle, according to the trooper’s report.
During the search, the trooper also reports locating a Wisconsin driver’s license identifying the second passenger as Kostadinos Christos Poulos.
When the three were asked about the items found in the vehicle, Spyrangelos allegedly claimed he uses the empty containers to make “art” or store spices. He denied knowledge of any containers with controlled substances inside.
All three men were charged with felony counts of possession of THC as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of THC and marijuana.