Drug charges filed against two suspects

Two men arrested this week following a suspected drug sale in Cape Girardeau have been charged in the incident.

Terrance O. Gardner, 22, of Cairo, Ill., and Manuel L. Landa, 38, of 116 N. Henderson Ave., were arrested Wednesday night when a police officer smelled marijuana and saw seeds in their vehicle, police spokesman Jason Selzer said.

Around 6 p.m., the officer spotted what he believed to be a drug deal take place in the 300 block of South Hanover Street, according to Selzer.

When the officer turned around and caught up with the vehicle involved, it had pulled over in the 1000 block of Bloomfield Street. Both defendants were searched after the officer smelled the marijuana and saw the seeds in the car, Selzer said.

Small amounts of crack cocaine and marijuana were found with the men, he said. Landa also had a Coca-Cola can fashioned into a marijuana pipe containing resin.

Gardner was charged with felony distribution of crack cocaine and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Landa was charged with felony possession of crack cocaine and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Gardner, the passenger in the vehicle, told officers that he was homeless and was selling drugs in order to eat and have a place to live, a probable-cause statement filed in the case said.

According to the statement, the officer believed Landa was in the United States illegally as he had no papers or passport.

Bond for Gardner was set at $25,000 and at $50,000 for Landa.