Man Suspected of Having 223 Pounds of Pot in Tractor Trailer Skips Trial

A Lansdale man who was arrested in 2011 after he was found with 223 pounds of marijuana in a tractor trailer failed to show up for trial Monday.

Andre Lue, 42, of South Broad Street, did not show up before Judge William J. Furber Jr., who issued a bench warrant for his apprehension, according to The Reporter. He had been free on $99,000 unsecured bail while awaiting trial, the article said.

Lue is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In September 2011, Lansdale Police seized 223 pounds of marijuana, with a total value of $223,000, from a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck and a tractor trailer during a drug surveillance operation that began at The Pavilion Shopping Center.

The incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. when Lansdale Police Officer David Gori was on patrol in a marked police car in the shopping center.

Gori came upon a tractor trailer parked along the fence line in the southern section of the parking lot near Children of America with one of the rear doors open, police said. A silver Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was backed up to the rear of the tractor trailer, police said.

Gori saw a man, later identified as Lue, standing between the pickup truck and the tractor trailer, who appeared to be loading something from the back of the trailer into the truck, police said.

When Lue spotted Gori's vehicle, he got into the Tacoma and sped away from the scene, police said. He abandoned the vehicle at 611 South Broad Street, police said.

Backup units, including Upper Moreland Police K-9 Officer Rems and K-9 Dex, arrived at the scene. Lue was later discovered in the hallway of his apartment building, located near his tractor trailer. At the time, police said Lue was a self-employed, cross-country driver with routes from California to the East Coast.

An investigation determined the pickup truck contained seven large bails of marijuana wrapped in cellophane. Two additional large bails of marijuana wrapped in cellophane were discovered in the rear portion of the tractor trailer, police said.