St. Mary's County Deputies Make Three Makes Drug Busts In Six Hours, Sheriff Says

The night began shortly after 10 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, when deputies on patrol spotted a silver Jeep Cherokee speeding out of a residential parking lot in Lexington Park and blowing through a stop sign, ultimately leading to their first arrests.

During the subsequent traffic stop, driver James Henry Elam III, 42, and his passenger, Antonio Roberto Belen, 38, both of Lexington Park were found with cocaine, buprenorphine hydrochloride pills, and a Suboxone strip.

Elam also had crack cocaine on him, while Belen was found with paraphernalia that had suspected cocaine on it.

Both were charged with CDS: Possession of not cannabis, and CDS: Possession of paraphernalia.

There was no rest for the weary, and at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Friday morning, investigators say that they stopped another Jeep for an equipment violation near the intersection of Three Notch Road and Miramar Way in California.

During a search of the vehicle's occupants, a backseat passenger, Lexington Park resident Kevin Wendell Barnes, 55, was caught in the rear of the vehicle with drug paraphernalia that contained suspected crack cocaine and cocaine residue.

Barnes was taken into custody and charged with two counts each of CDS: Possession of not cannabis and CDS: Possession of paraphernalia.

All three were taken to the St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown, where they were awaiting bond hearings.

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