Friends forgot the drugs, he told cops. Then, a free vacation, but not where he wanted

A Cape Coral man told police he was delivering drugs to friends in Key West in exchange for a free vacation before being pulled over for speeding in Marathon Tuesday.

Tyler Doidge, 21, was stopped just before 8 p.m. for going almost twice the speed limit near mile marker 48, according to the arrest report from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Matthew Cory.

Doidge told Cory he was aware of warning signs that the 35 mph limit is strictly enforced in the area and was on his way to Key West for vacation. After Cory smelled marijuana and told Doidge he was going to search the 2008 Buick Lacrosse, he noted in the report Doidge began to develop beads of sweat on his forehead.

“This is not normal behavior since the outside temperature [was] near 75 degrees. I have a protective vest and long pants on and I was not sweating,” Cory wrote. “Doidge was wearing a tank top and shorts. On the same evening I conducted three other traffic stops and none of those drivers appeared to be sweating.”

During the search, Cory wrote he found a black backpack with 84.5 grams (about 3 ounces) of marijuana in plastic bags. Underneath the divider between the trunk bottom and the spare tire was a glass jar inside of which were 318 ecstasy pills with smiley faces stamped on both sides.

Doige said his friends forgot the drugs on the mainland and in exchange for the delivery, they’d pay for his entire trip. He also told Cory he’d smoked some of the marijuana before the drive.

“When asked to rate it from 1 to 10, he advised that it was an 8,” Cory wrote of the pot’s quality. “He advised that this cannabis was usually sold for around $200 an ounce.”

Doige was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of 10 grams or more of phenethylamines (ecstasy), and use of paraphernalia to transport drugs, all felonies. He was also ticketed for speeding. Doige was taken to the jail in Marathon without bond.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Friends forgot the drugs, he told cops. Then, a free vacation, but not where he wanted."