A man from Texas County has been charged in Franklin County with drug trafficking after a Missouri State Highway Patrol discovered a “large quantity of capsules” containing a white powder inside the vehicle the man was riding in.
The discovery of more than 20 milligrams of narcotics was made during a traffic stop in November 2021 near St. Clair on Interstate 44.
On April 20, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Becker charged Jeffery Alan Bauer, 56, of Yukon, with one count of drug trafficking. Bauer faces 10 to 30 years in prison, if convicted.
According to court documents, on Nov. 10, 2021, Bauer was riding as a passenger in an unidentified vehicle that had been stopped for an unrelated lane violation, equipment violation and a registration violation.
Missouri State Highway Patrol officials said Bauer and the driver, who is not identified in court documents, gave conflicting stories as to where they had been, their activities prior to the traffic stop and where they were going on I-44.
The driver reportedly told the highway patrol they believed Bauer had “possibly picked up narcotics in St. Louis.”
After Bauer refused to consent to a search of his personal belongings inside the vehicle, a K9 officer was brought to the scene. The subsequent search of the vehicle revealed the capsules, which were hidden near where Bauer was seated in the vehicle and underneath his coat, according to court documents.
When questioned further, authorities said Bauer confessed that he had acquired the capsules from a known drug dealer in North St. Louis County. He reportedly told law enforcement this was not the first time he had bought drugs from this individual — who is not named in court records — and that he believed the capsules likely contained fentanyl.
Bauer also reportedly told authorities the driver “was not aware he was going to pick up narcotics” to deliver them to Houston.