Drug dealing with a dictionary? It wasn’t your average dictionary, Florida cops say

A well-worn dictionary helped unravel a drug trafficking operation when deputies tried flipping through the pages, according to investigators in Florida.

The “book” was actually a portable safe and it was stocked with drugs, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 3 news release.

It was discovered during a Dec. 30 traffic stop in Palatka, about a 105-mile drive north from Orlando.

“Deputies attempted to stop (a vehicle) for several traffic violations including crossing a double line and almost striking a vehicle head-on,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

“During a search of the vehicle, deputies found 34 grams of marijuana that was next to smaller baggies. They also found a scale and what appeared to be a dictionary.”

When deputies opened it, they found “a hollow hiding place” used to conceal six grams of fentanyl, four grams of crystal methamphetamine “and a white substance that appeared to be cocaine,” officials said.

The 45-year-old driver was arrested and was being held without bond on charges of:

• Fleeing/eluding police, resisting officer without violence
• Trafficking fentanyl 4 grams or more
• Possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell
• Drug equipment possession
• Possession of marijuana over 20 grams

“(The suspect) was previously convicted twice for the sale of drugs and has served prison terms,” the sheriff’s office said. “Continuing to make bad decisions ... that might be the definition of incompetent.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 7:40 AM with the headline "Drug dealing with a dictionary? It wasn’t your average dictionary, Florida cops say."