Man Arrested for Meth Hidden in Cane

Renato Villareal, a 40-year-old man from Marietta, was arrested Jan. 14 for allegedly hiding three bags of methamphetamine in a walking cane.

Villareal was the passenger in a 2000 Ford Explorer that was pulled over by on Jackson Way because the driver wasn't staying in her lane, according to the incident report.

The driver "was acting nervous, shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes had a glazed look to them," the report says, adding that she said she was on her medication. Both she and Villareal consented to searches.

The officer noticed that the Villareal's cane separated into two parts. "I deemed this to be detrimental to my safety and the other officers at the scene, so I separated the cane into two parts and checked them to see if there were any weapons inside," the report says.

The officer found one bag of what appeared to be methamphetamine, and a narcotics officer found two more.

Nothing else turned up in the search, so the driver was released with a citation for failing maintain lane. Villareal remains in custody on a charge of violation of Georgia Controlled Substance Act, jail records show.