WHITTINGTON – A Franklin County man is facing drug charges following a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon on I-57 near Illinois 154 in Whittington.

Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon says 21-year-old Nathaniel R. Sloan of Benton is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance – a Class 3 felony – and Possession with the Intent to Manufacture/Deliver a Controlled Substance – a Class X felony. He is lodged in the Franklin County Jail. Sheriff Bacon says additional charges are pending.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, a sheriff’s deputy stopped the driver of the vehicle, identified as 27-year-old Alexander C. Smith of West Frankfort, and Sloan, who was his passenger. Shortly after making the stop, Southern Illinois Drug Task Force agents arrived to assist.

During the course of the traffic stop, officers were given consent to search inside the vehicle. The search produced 198.5 Fentanyl pills concealed in the vehicle. As a result, Sloan was placed under arrest and taken to jail where he remains on the charges we mentioned earlier.  

The case is being investigated by the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force in cooperation with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.