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Trooper's Report: On February 5th, 2024, I was stationary in the median on Interstate 40 in Pulaski County near the 157 milepost observing eastbound traffic. I noticed a White Mercedes Sprinter Van bearing Rhode Island license plate 86074 traveling east following a Dodge Charger too closely in the left lane. I caught up to the van and made a traffic stop at 4:02 p.m. on the van near the 158- milepost. The van took quite a few seconds before finally deciding to pull over. I came in contact with the driver whom I identified as Paul Magda DOB: by his New Jersey license. I asked if he was hauling anything, and he told me it was just a personal van. He told me he was just passing through and that he went to California to see some friends. He gave me the registration and insurance card. The registration showed the van to be registered to David Scialo and the insurance was listed as commercial insurance to a company called “Cousin's Freight”. I asked him who David was and he told me David was the owner. I could see his jugular vein pulsating on the side of his neck. I told him to stand at my passenger window while I checked his license out. He stepped outside with his hands in his pocket, but he stepped in front of my patrol vehicle even after I pointed specifically to my passenger-side window. I had to tell him again to come to my window. While at my window he kept chewing on something very fast. He told me he went to Novato, California. He told me he was taking the work van back to “him“ whom I assumed to be David, the owner. He told me that “he” brought it out “earlier”. He told me he flew out to California and spent 3 or 4 weeks. He told me he used to drive over the road when he was younger. I had trouble getting a return on the Rhode Island license plate but was able to run it by the VIN and get a return. I asked how the van got out to California in the first place. He told me “his uncle lives in Nevada”. He told me it was just a “family thing“ as he stared back at the van. He told me he was just working for “his uncle”. I asked if I could check to make sure he had nothing in commerce. He told me “Sure, yeah.” He opened the van’s back door without me asking. I noticed a couple of pallets with multiple brown boxes stacked on top of each other and wrapped in blue plastic. The boxes had no markings on them which raised my suspicion. He told me “This is what I'm hauling for him.“ I asked what was in the boxes and he said, “It’s uh, it’s uh, solar inverter parts.” I asked if I could check the boxes to make sure that they were solar inverter parts. He started stumbling on his words and told me “You sure can.“ I asked if he had Bill of Ladings for them and he told me no. I could smell what smelt like coffee beans inside. He stood and watched me unwrap the plastic and cut open a box. He never said a word. I opened one box and could see black vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana. I advised Troop A dispatch that I had one in custody. I detained Mr. Magda and read him his Miranda Rights. He stated he understood. I told him I had been watching the vein in his neck pulsating this whole time. He admitted to me he was taking the marijuana to meet someone in Roanoke, Virginia. He told me he picked it up in California a few days ago. I asked if there were any guns or cocaine in there or “just marijuana“ and he told me “Just marijuana“. Inside the top box was a packing/flavor list of different flavors of marijuana. It showed to have 17 boxes in total. That's the total number of boxes there were on the two pallets total. There were approximately 241 packages of marijuana total weighing approximately 1 pound each. He admitted he had made a few trips before. He was transported to Troop A Headquarters and placed in a holding cell while we unloaded the boxes into the evidence vault. He was then transported and booked into Pulaski County Detention Center on the following charges: Possess with Purpose to Deliver Controlled Substance Schedule VI = 100 lbs 500 lbs- Class A Felony, Possess Drug Paraphernalia-Class D Felony, and Following Too Closely-Violation.
