UNION CITY — In the evening hours of April 1, 2023, an officer of the Union City Ohio Police Department with the assistance of officers from the Union City, Indiana Police Department, stopped a vehicle for a registration violation, in the area of S. First St. and E. Main St. The vehicle was occupied with two females. The female driver began to act very nervous while speaking with officers.

A K-9 unit from the Winchester Police Department was requested to the scene. Upon the arrival of the K-9, a free air sniff of the vehicle was performed, the K-9 made a positive alert to the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was then performed. During the search a methamphetamine smoking device was located by officers. The driver of the vehicle who was identified as Gabriella Cantu, admitted that the smoking device was in fact hers.

Cantu was placed under arrest and transported to the Darke County Sheriff’s Jail. Upon arrival to the jail Cantu was asked a series of questions, in which all inmates answer prior to entering into the jail, during that time Cantu admitted that she in fact hid a large amount of drugs inside her person. Cantu admitted to placing the drugs inside her person when the officer was stopping the vehicle.

The item was voluntarily removed by Cantu and was processed as evidence. Inside a multiple layers of plastic, officers located a large amount of crystal-like substance, that field tested positive for Methamphetamine. The substance was preliminary weighed and found to be 74 grams.

Because the substance was found to be greater than the bulk amount, Cantu was booked into the jail on a felony of the second degree for possession of methamphetamine. Due to the amount, if convicted, Cantu could face a mandatory prison sentence and a large fine. Cantu was left in the custody of the on-duty jail staff, awaiting her arraignment in the Darke County Common Pleas Court.

The Union City Ohio Police Department is committed to taking drugs off the streets and holding drug dealers responsible for their actions. Chief Mark Ater stated, “It is obvious in this case, due to the large amount of drugs that were located, the drugs were going to be sold in our community. Our officers are dedicated to serving the community and will continue to arrest people that are selling drugs in our communities. I am proud of our officers and thankful that we have a good working relationship with the Union City Indiana Police Department and Winchester Police Department and are able to work together to take drugs off the streets.”

Ms. Cantu is presumed innocent, until proven guilty in a court of law.