BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (WBOY) — Two men have been charged after allegedly attempting to trade marijuana for a truck in Buckhannon.
On April 8, officers with the Buckhannon Police Department received information about a potential drug deal taking place in Buckhannon, according to a criminal complaint.
During that time, Tommy Coupal, 20; and Landon Covalt, 20, of Buckhannon,” drove to the Buckhannon Lowe’s with the intent to trade ‘Gelato’ strain of marijuana for a 2006 Dodge Ram,” officers said.
Under a false Facebook account, Coupal and Covalt “offered to trade 10 pounds of ‘Gelato’ for the vehicle,” and then “provided a video of the marijuana and told the seller that it ‘smells and smokes’ great” according to the complaint.
An officer acting as the seller of the truck “was presented with the ‘Gelato’,” and then placed Coupal and Covalt into custody; once officers finished with the arrest, they found “two trash bags full of green vegetation that both looks and smells like marijuana,” officers said.
After Coupal and Covalt were advised of their Miranda rights, they “both claimed it’s not marijuana but CBD/hemp but were unable to produce paperwork proving this claim”; the substance was field tested and yielded a positive result for THC, according to the complaint.
Coupal and Covalt have been charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. They are being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $25,000 bond.
