Seat belt violation led to discovery of marijuana hidden under man's stomach fat

A 450-pound Florida man was arrested on Friday after police officers conducting a traffic stop discovered that he had stashed marijuana under his stomach fat.

Christopher Mitchell, 42, was travelling in a vehicle driven by Keithian Roberts, 38, when the car passed a sharp-eyed Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy who noticed that the 5' 6" Mitchell was not wearing a seatbelt. During a subsequent traffic stop, both men reportedly appeared nervous, prompting the officers to summon a drug-detection dog.



Mitchell, investigators noted, claimed to be so big that he was unable to buckle himself in. After the drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle, officers searched Mitchell, Roberts, and the car. Investigators found “23 grams of marijuana hidden under Mitchell’s stomach fat,” a handgun, $7000 in cash, and some cocaine (for which Roberts was giveen a possession charge).

Mitchell was also cited for failure to wear a seat belt. According to Florida Department of Corrections records, Mitchell was previously convicted of cocaine trafficking (for which he served three years in prison). Mitchell, who was freed in December 2004, had several aliases, including “Biggie” and “Fat Boy.” His weight a decade ago was 265 pounds, jailers reported.