POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida woman who repeatedly called 911 to complain about receiving a traffic citation ended up facing far more serious charges after authorities allegedly discovered dozens of bags of fentanyl hidden inside her body during the jail booking process.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when deputies were assisting utility crews working on power lines and had temporarily closed a roadway to traffic.
Investigators say 48-year-old Gina Redding of Lake Wales ignored the road closure and drove around a deputy who was directing vehicles away from the area.
Authorities said Redding was stopped on the other side of the closure and issued a traffic citation for bypassing the roadblock.
Rather than accepting the ticket, deputies allege she began following the deputy who issued the citation and repeatedly called 911 to complain about the enforcement action.
Sheriff Grady Judd said the calls were considered an improper use of the emergency system, prompting deputies to stop Redding again. She was subsequently arrested and cited for misuse of 911.
During an inventory search conducted before her vehicle was towed, deputies reportedly found marijuana inside the vehicle.
The situation escalated further once Redding was transported to jail. Officials said a body scanner used during the intake process detected a foreign object concealed on her person.
Corrections personnel later recovered 28 individually packaged bags containing fentanyl that investigators say had been hidden inside her body.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has been linked to a significant number of overdose deaths across the United States due to its extreme potency.
As a result of the discovery, Redding was charged with felony drug trafficking in addition to the alleged misuse of 911 and marijuana possession charges.
Jail records indicate she remains in custody as the case moves through the court system. Authorities have not released additional details regarding the quantity of fentanyl recovered or whether further charges could be filed.
The arrest quickly drew attention online due to the unusual chain of events that began with a complaint over a traffic ticket and ended with a major drug trafficking investigation.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court
Leave a Reply