MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) – In less than 24 hours, the Manitowoc Police Department made three notable drug busts.
Captain Larry Zimney calls the 11 grams of heroin recovered in the first incident “the largest quantity of heroin he has seen during his 29 years on the force.”
A citizen called the police late Wednesday morning, saying two men were doing drugs in the area of South 10th Street and Green Street.
When officers arrived on scene, the two men fled but were tracked down a short time later.
While one man was released since he did not have any illegal substances on him, 28-year-old Eric Schmidt of Whitelaw was arrested for allegedly possessing 11 grams of heroin and a small amount of methamphetamine. Police value the drugs over $3,000.
The second incident resulted from a 9:30 pm traffic stop on the city’s south side for a defective brake light.
Zimney says the officer smelled a strong stench of cologne when walking up to the vehicle and then noticed a slight marijuana odor as talks with the driver progressed.
Upon searching the vehicle, the officer reportedly found 22 separate bags of marijuana, totaling over 65 grams and valued over $1,300, along with drug paraphernalia.
The 25-year-old Manitowoc woman who was driving was arrested on multiple drug charges. One of the three passengers in the vehicle was also taken into custody for an outstanding warrant.
The final incident was also the result of a south side traffic stop for defective lighting.
At 2:15 am, the officer approached the vehicle and upon speaking with the two occupants, could immediately tell the passenger was nervous.
When speaking privately with the passenger, a 46-year-old Manitowoc man, an officer says a small bag of methamphetamine fell out of the man’s pocket.
The same drug was also reportedly found on the driver, a 21-year-old Maribel man.
Both men were arrested on a variety of drug charges as officers say a total upwards of 15 grams of methamphetamine was found, in addition to a small amount of marijuana. Total street value is estimated at $360.
No names have been released in either the second or third incident.
Zimney praises the citizen for the tip in the first arrest and commends the work of the department’s officers in the traffic stops.
He says taking drugs off the streets is a team effort and encourages citizens to contact the Manitowoc Police Department if they learn of potential drug activity.
