3 Calif. men arrested on drug charges

9/20/2012

Three California men were being held in the Lucas County jail on drug charges on Wednesday after arraignment in Maumee Municipal Court.

The men, each charged with drug abuse and trafficking in drugs, are Jonathan Almanzo Soeun, 20, and Da Seth, 25, both of Stockton, Calif., and Walter Lee Rath, 21, of West Sacramento. Each appeared in court via video arraignment and was ordered to be held in lieu of $250,000 bond.

Troopers said they stopped the men, driving in Maumee on the Ohio Turnpike, at 8:33 a.m. on Tuesday for a following-too-close violation. Troopers reported they “observed criminal indicators” and called in a drug-sniffing dog.

Hidden inside the car, troopers report they found 65 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $416,000.

If convicted, the men could each face up to 16 years in prison and a maximum $30,000 fine.