The Lee County Saturday said that on Friday, November 4, at approximately 6:30 p.m., a detective with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Highway Interdiction Unit observed a vehicle failing to maintain lanes and bearing extremely dark tinted front windows.

The detective conducted a traffic stop on I-75 near mile marker 150 in North Fort Myers. The vehicle was identified as a rented 2011 Ford F150.

After checking the validity of the driver’s Florida Operator’s License, the detective issued a written warning. During the traffic stop, the detective determined the operator was currently on probation for drug related charges and had been released from prison on Oct. 17,2011.

A K9 officer who responded to assist in the traffic stop conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle and the K9 alerted to the presence of drugs. A search of the vehicle revealed a large amount of liquid promethazine-codeine. A total of 10 pounds of the opiate-based liquid was recovered during the search. The codeine has a street value of $50 per ounce, with a total street value at around $8,000.

The drug has a common street name of “Purple Drank” or “Sizzurp,” and is becoming an increasingly popular drug of abuse, investigators said.

The investigation revealed the driver, 3-year-old Ashlee L. Anderson, was traveling from Fort Myers to Orlando when he was stopped.

Ashlee Larry Anderson, 30, of 717 White River Drive, Orlando, Fla., was charged with trafficking in opiates, keeping a vehicle for drugs and possession of opiates with intent to deliver.