Around 9:45 Thursday night, a Cheyenne Police Officer conducted a traffic stop on a white Ford Transit van at the intersection of Interstate 25 and College Drive for failing to maintain lane of travel and for not properly displaying a front license plate.
The van was registered to Juvenile Extensive Management Services (JEMS) – an agency that provides transport services to children with behavioral and mental health challenges.
During the traffic stop, the officer identified 64-year-old Richard Clifton, of Cheyenne, as the driver and 21-year-old Olivia Merrill, of Cheyenne, as the front seat passenger.
A Laramie County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived and deployed his K9 partner who alerted to the odor of a controlled substance inside the vehicle.
The vehicle was subsequently searched, and nearly 200 suspected fentanyl pills were recovered. Officers also found signs that fentanyl pills had been smoked inside the van.
Clifton and Merrill were both arrested and booked into the Laramie County Jail on felony possession and conspiracy drug charges.
This case remains under investigation by the Cheyenne Police Department Detective Bureau.