Loaded gun, marijuana seized from traffickers in Portage County traffic stop, sheriff says

EDINBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) - A traffic stop led to the arrest of two people for trafficking in marijuana, the Portage County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

Deputies assigned to the Portage Aggressive Crime Enforcement Unit conducted the traffic stop on the silver 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee on I-76 in Edinburg Township on May 3, according to PCSO.

PCSO identified the driver as 44-year-old Lebarron Fryer of Pittsburgh and the passenger as 40-year-old Ikea Oliver of Akron.

Deputies detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside the car during the stop, PCSO said, the passenger admitted there was marijuana in the car.

A probable cause search led deputies to find a loaded Taurus G3 9mm handgun and a spare magazine in the center console, PCSO said.

Deputies searched further and found two pounds of marijuana in the rear cargo that was hidden in a backpack, according to PCSO.

PCSO confirmed Fryer and Oliver were arrested and charged with the following:

• trafficking in marijuana
• possession of marijuana

PCSO said a check of Fryer’s criminal history revealed priors for:

• voluntary manslaughter
• robbery
• conspiracy to distribute narcotics into a detention facility

The ongoing investigation has been forwarded to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, according to PCSO.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Office reminded the community that recreational marijuana is illegal in Ohio.

Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved.