Before his arrest, drug trafficking suspect says he was selling pot at Hooters, cops say

A 69-year-old Sarasota man pulled over for a seatbelt violation faces drug trafficking charges after deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office says it found cocaine and marijuana in his pickup truck.

After he was arrested, Joseph Balcom told deputies that before he was stopped, he had been drinking beers at a Hooters restaurant while selling marijuana out of his truck.

Balcom was arrested Monday and charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of narcotics equipment. He was released from the Sarasota County jail on Tuesday on bonds totaling $17,000 bond.

At about 7 p.m. Monday, deputies pulled Balcom over in his Toyota Tundra in the 1900 block of Stickney Point Road in Sarasota for a seatbelt violation, according to his arrest report. When deputies approached Balcom’s truck, they smelled a strong odor of marijuana.

Balcom consented to a search of his truck, deputies reported.

During the search of Balcom’s truck, deputies found more than 7 grams of marijuana inside of an envelope marked with the letter “B” inside a large plastic container on the backseat and several envelopes marked with “XX,” “1,” “8” or X, each containing cocaine, in the side pocket of the driver’s door. As they continued to search, deputies also found a locked safe under the driver’s seat with additional envelopes marked with numbers or letters containing cocaine.

Deputies seized a total of 34.6 grams of cocaine, 7.3 grams of marijuana and more than $900 in cash.

After being read his rights, Balcom agreed to speak with deputies, according to his arrest report. Balcom told the deputies that prior to being pulled over he had been drinking beers at Hooters in Sarasota while selling marijuana out of his truck.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Before his arrest, drug trafficking suspect says he was selling pot at Hooters, cops say."