DOMESTIC HIGHWAY ENFORCEMENT TRAFFIC STOP YIELDS YET ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT DRUG SEIZURE
On February 26, 2020, during the afternoon, Deputy Wade Wallace of The LaPorte County Sheriffs Office was working the Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) program along the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) near mile marker 59. At approximately 3:55 PM, he was monitoring westbound traffic and observed a vehicle following another vehicle too closely. Deputy Wallace began traveling west behind the violating vehicle and noted that the same vehicle was also exceeding the posted speed limit. The vehicle then committed a third violation when changing lanes. The vehicle entered the Wilbur Shaw Travel Plaza located at the 56 mile marker.
Deputy Wallace initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle in the parking lot of the plaza. The driver was identified as Hui Wei ZHENG (48 YOA), of Brooklyn, New York. Indiana State Police Trooper Chris Eagles and his K-9 partner Axel arrived to assist. As the traffic stop progressed, a large quantity of an illegal drug was located. ZHENG was arrested for Dealing/Delivery of Marijuana (Level 5 Felony). ZHENG remains housed in the La Porte County Jail (LCJ). He is being held on a $15,005.00 cash-only bond through La Porte County Superior Court I.DHE is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program/initiative. DHE is designed to disrupt the flow of drugs and weapons moving domestically. DHE, funded by federal monies and administered by Indiana HIDTA, allows additional deputies to work criminal interdiction enforcement.
