What started out as a routine traffic stop for speeding Monday afternoon, quickly became a drug bust – thanks to alert Cherokee County law enforcement officials.

According to information contained in a news release from Sheriff Jeff Shaver – Deputy Daniel Money and Reserve Deputy Nick Helms initiated that stop on Highway 411 just north of Centre – and as he was approaching the vehicle, Deputy Money detected an odor of what appeared to be burning marijuana.

At that point he called for assistance from the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative & Counter-Drug Unit.

Investigators and deputies discovered a sizeable amount of illegal narcotics including marijuana, ecstasy, molly and various prescription drugs along with a large amount of cash.

The three occupants of the vehicle – Randell Kaleta Dolin, age 19; Miles Edward Borcherdt, age 20; and 21 year old Brent Joseph Champagne, all from Louisiana – were placed under arrest and charged with the Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance and the Unlawful Possession of Marijuana 1st Degree.

All three were taken into custody without incident and were transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center – where bond was set at $5,000 each.

According to the sheriff, the three were traveling through Cherokee County from a location in Georgia where they had attended a festival over the weekend.