WOODSFIELD, OH – An Ohio man made an unusual deposit at his local bank this week, sending a baggie of methamphetamine through the drive-through’s pneumatic tube system directly to a very surprised teller.
Jason G. Smith, 46, of Woodsfield was arrested after the bizarre incident at the Monroe County bank. A teller discovered a plastic baggie containing “a crystal like substance consistent with methamphetamine” when she opened the canister that had just arrived through the tube system.
The teller immediately contacted authorities, who confirmed the substance was indeed meth. Investigators traced the deposit back to Smith and took him into custody.
A search of Smith’s pickup truck turned up even more trouble. Deputies found “additional suspected drugs and drug-related items” inside the vehicle, compounding the charges he now faces.
Monroe County Sheriff Derek Norman couldn’t resist a bit of dry humor when addressing the incident publicly.
“Illegal drugs don’t belong in bank drive-thrus,” Norman said in a statement. “But they can be turned in at the Sheriff’s Office. No charges, no handcuffs, just help. We’d much rather safely take them off the street than see another unexpected ‘deposit.'”
The sheriff was referencing drug amnesty programs that allow people to surrender illegal substances without facing prosecution, a far cry from Smith’s accidental delivery method.
It remains unclear whether Smith intended to send the drugs through the tube or simply mixed up the contents of what he was depositing. The sheriff’s office did not specify what, if anything, Smith claimed he thought he was sending to the teller.
Smith now faces multiple drug-related charges stemming from both the bank incident and the additional contraband found in his vehicle. He is being held at the Monroe County Jail.
The case has drawn attention on social media, where users have marveled at the combination of apparent carelessness and bad luck that led to Smith’s arrest.
Moral of the story: Don’t meth with drugs.