DUARTE — A man allegedly had 68 balloons full of heroin with him when he passed out at the wheel and crashed his truck in Duarte Thursday, authorities said.
Andrew Lalande, 27, of Monrovia was booked on suspicion of possession of drugs for sales, driving under the influence of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Tom McNeal said.
Deputies responded to a car crash about 1:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Royal Oaks Drive, the lieutenant said.
Lalande had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into a car that was stopped in the roadway in front of him, McNeal said.
Witnesses told deputies that after the crash, Lalande walked down the street where he appeared to drop something on the ground, then returned to his truck, McNeal said.
When deputies looked at the spot the witnesses had indicated, they found 68 balloons full of heroin, he said. Officials also found 15 syringes — one of them full of heroin — inside Lalande’s truck.
In all, deputies found about 6 grams of heroin, McNeal said, with an estimated street value of about $7,000.
According to sheriff’s booking records, Lalande was being held without bail. His initial court appearance was scheduled for Friday, however an update on his case was not available late Friday.