Quake3World

The two Caucasian males had obtained ice methamphetamine from Mexican sources of supply in Omaha (NE) and were transporting the drugs to Louisville (KY) for distribution. The men concealed the ice methamphetamine in the body of a motorized, 3-foot hobby rocket connected by wires to the vehicle's cigarette lighter. If stopped by law enforcement officers en route to their destination, they planned to open the trunk of the vehicle, raise the methamphetamine-filled rocket into launching position using a string and pulley system, and launch the rocket into the air.

The two men had tested a similar rocket filled with 2 pounds of gravel that reached a height of about 1,200 feet and, based on the results of that test, expected the plastic bags containing the ice methamphetamine to melt or disintegrate and the drugs to scatter into the air. On June 24, 2005, the men had an opportunity to test their device when a Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) trooper attempted to stop their vehicle on Interstate 70 in Callaway County.

The vehicle exited the interstate and entered a restaurant parking lot; however, the two men failed to activate the rocket. The driver then fled the vehicle and discarded a small bag containing approximately 2 grams of methamphetamine, while the passenger remained in the vehicle. The trooper and a backup officer apprehended the men, searched the vehicle, and discovered the rocket as well as devices that appeared to be pipe bombs hidden in the trunk