Trucking co. owner arrested for allegedly using business to traffic drugs

user-gravatar Headshot
Peter Truong, owner of P and T Transportation Corp. (Credit: Orange County Jail)Peter Truong, owner of P and T Transportation Corp. (Credit: Orange County Jail)

The owner of an Orlando, Fla.-based trucking company has been arrested and charged in connection with allegedly using his trucking business to haul large quantities of marijuana and cocaine into Florida from other parts of the country.

Peter Truong, owner of P and T Transportation Corp., was arrested Friday, Aug. 5 after a two-year investigation, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Truong was charged with trafficking cocaine in quantities greater than 400 grams, conspiracy to traffic controlled substances, conspiracy to traffic oxycodone, sale and delivery of cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to sell or deliver, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, unlawful transportation of currency, as well as a charge under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Nine others, including P and T Transportation’s truck drivers, have either been arrested or are wanted in connection with the case.

In a press conference Tuesday, officials said Truong would book legitimate loads to be picked up in California and Colorado, then hide drugs in the company’s three trucks to bring back into Florida.

“He was hauling legitimate loads for businesses,” said Ron Stucker, director of Orlando’s Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. “Businesses that he was hauling legitimate loads for probably had no idea what else was in his truck. He would go and pick up loads for various businesses and put his own product on there, too.”

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said in the Tuesday press conference that the drug trafficking ring allegedly brought thousands of pounds of marijuana and multiple kilos of cocaine into Florida each year over the last two years.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s online carrier search, P and T Transportation is an active common carrier.