THC filled candies nets arrests

A Daphne man stopped on Interstate 65 Saturday about midnight driving with no head lights or tail lights, now sits in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton on $1.5 million bond after the trooper found about 13 pounds of marijuana products that included gummie bears edibles, vapes and liquid containing THC levels higher than allowed by law.

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the drug compound found in marijuana, which is illegal in the state of Alabama.

Derrick Lee Cotton, 48, 7231 Cypress Ave., Daphne, Ala., was charged with trafficking THC and unlawful possession of marijuana II.

According to reports, Trooper Travis Smith pulled Cotton over heading south on I-65 near the 65 mile marker in Escambia County for driving at midnight with no heads lights and no tail lights.

Reports state Cotton told Trooper Smith he was heading home from a job in Tennessee and did not realize the lights were off due to the vehicle being a rental and him being unfamiliar with the vehicle.

Smith reported he smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and when questioned, Cotton said he threw out about a half ounce when he saw the state trooper.

Trooper Smith then conducted a probable-cause search of the vehicle and found a backpack in the back seat that contained 13 pounds of of THC edibles, vapes, liquid and about 2 ounces of marijuana.

After being read his rights, the report states Cotton told the trooper he ordered the items from a dispensary where he works and had them mailed to him in Tennessee before bringing the items back to Alabama. He also told the trooper he was aware the items were illegal in Alabama. Cotton was arrested and transported to the Escambia County Detention Center and the drugs were seized.

During a bond hearing Monday before Escambia County District Judge Eric Coale, District Attorney Steve Billy said Cotton had an extensive criminal history and was out on bond on drug charges in Baldwin County.

Billy also told the judge that Cotton was a danger to the community and especially to children who may want to eat the gummie bears.

Billy also said he felt Cotton was a flight risk and asked for a bond of $1.5 million.

Cotton's attorney, Cierra White, told the judge that Cotton was not a flight risk, noting he was married and had two children in Baldwin County.

"He served his time, he's not a threat to the community," White said.

She also said his prior convictions were not relevant to the current case and asked for a bond of $10,000 and said he was a union man and can continue to work.

"There's no evidence he was intending to sell anything," White said.

Coale then set the bond at $1.5 million.