Men Accused of Using Uber for Ride to Drug Deal

The initial traffic stop soon turned into a narcotics investigation after deputies noticed two passengers with a concentrated form of cannabis

Two men who requested a ride using Uber were arrested Wednesday after they were found in the back seat of the vehicle with hallucinogenic drugs they planned to sell, according to authorities.

A vehicle code violation led to the midday traffic stop involving an Uber driver in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. Details regarding the violation were not immediately available, but deputies soon turned the focus of the stop to the vehicle's two back-seat passengers.

The men had a quarter-pound of "butane honey oil," a concentrated form of cannabis. Deputies determined that the passengers were on the way to sell the chemical, which can contain up to 80 percent of Delta 9 THC -- the active ingredient in marijuana.

The suspects were identified as Cody Jens, 24, of Agoura Hills, and Luke Karasiuk, 22, of Thousand Oaks. Jens' first court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11, and Karasiuk is due in court Jan. 30, according to jail records.

It was not immediately clear whether the men obtained attorneys.

They had "well over a thousand dosage units" of the drug, also known as honey oil, wax and shatter, according to a statement from the sheriff's department. A typical dose of the hallucinogenic is about 1/10th of a gram.

Honey oil has been connected to several drug lab explosions in Southern California due to a chemical reaction during the production process that involves butane.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and booked into Ventura County Jail. The driver, who was not part of the narcotics offense, was not arrested.

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