TEXARKANA, Ark. - One of two Kentucky men arrested with 56 kilos of cocaine and two pistols during an October 2018 traffic stop was taken into custody Thursday after pleading guilty in a Texarkana federal court.
Curtis Troxtle, 34, appeared before U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey with Texarkana lawyer Cory Floyd for a change of plea hearing Thursday morning. Troxtle pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 kilograms of cocaine and to carrying a weapon in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Johnnie Adams is scheduled for a change of plea hearing Feb. 21 before Hickey. Until then, he remains free on an unsecured $5,000 appearance bond.
Floyd asked Hickey to release Troxtle on his existing bond until the case is set for sentencing in about four to six months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones objected, citing federal law which requires detention in such cases. Hickey ordered Troxtle into the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Troxtle and Adams began their journey from their home state in a private plane owned by Adams, Jones said at Thursday's hearing. When the plane broke down in Louisiana, the men rented a Ford Explorer, which was stopped Oct. 29, 2018, by Arkansas State Police Trooper Bernard Pettit on Interstate 30 in Hempstead County.
While both men claimed their trip was altered by Adams' private plane breaking down in Louisiana, the men gave different accounts of their travel, a criminal complaint states.
Troxtle allegedly told Pettit that the men had flown together in Adams' private plane from their home state of Kentucky to vacation in Corpus Christi, Texas, before breaking down in Louisiana. Adams allegedly claimed the men had flown from Kentucky to Shreveport, Louisiana, for vacation and had never stopped in Texas, according to the complaint.
The conflicting accounts led Pettit to ask Adams for permission to search the Explorer, which Adams declined to give. A Nevada County, Arkansas, Sheriff 's Office canine alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the car while performing a free air search.
After Pettit informed the men that the dog's behavior gave officers the probable cause needed to search the Explorer, Adams allegedly said, "We are mules and the car is loaded," according to the complaint.
A black, hard-backed suitcase containing 32 packages of suspected cocaine was found along with a Nike duffel bag containing another 24 packages. Each package weighed approximately 2.2 pounds. A sample from one of the packages field-tested positively for cocaine, according to the complaint.
Two pistols were also found inside the Explorer. Adams showed officers a Kentucky concealed carry license and claimed one of the weapons belongs to him. When interviewed later by a Drug Enforcement Agency special agent, the men allegedly confessed that they were in the process of transporting the drugs from South Texas, to Detroit, Michigan, and that the second pistol found in the car was part of their delivery.
Adams allegedly told investigators that he expected to be paid $75,000 and that he intended to pay Troxtle $15,000.
Hickey told Troxtle at Thursday's hearing that he faces 10 years to life in prison, a fine up to $10 million, or both for possession with intent to distribute more than 50 kilos of cocaine. For possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, Hickey said Troxtle faces five years to life in prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both.
Any sentence Troxtle receives for the weapons offense must be served consecutively to any term imposed for the drug crime.
Adams is charged with the same offenses as Troxtle and faces the same possible punishment.