State Police Seize Two Kilograms of Cocaine, Arrest North Carolina Man After Traffic Stop

Date Posted: Monday, March 30th, 2026

Graphic titled “News Release New Castle County” featuring a Delaware State Police Chevrolet Tahoe parked with Wilmington skyline and train station in the background. A silhouette map of Delaware appears on the left with New Castle County highlighted in blue, the text “BecomeATrooper.com” on the bottom center, and social media icons are shown at the bottom right corner.

The Delaware State Police arrested 55-year-old James Pyrtle, of Whitsett, North Carolina, on felony drug and related charges following a traffic stop Sunday morning in Wilmington.

On March 29, 2026, at approximately 11:00 a.m., a trooper patrolling Interstate 95 southbound near Marsh Road saw a Ford Edge with a registration violation. The trooper pulled over the Ford and spoke with the driver, identified as James Pyrtle.

While speaking with Pyrtle, the trooper grew suspicious of drug trafficking activity and requested a narcotics K9 respond. A New Castle County Police K9 responded and alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

A subsequent search of the Ford led to the recovery of the following:

Approximately 2287 grams of suspected cocaine
Six oxycodone hydrochloride pills
Three tramadol hydrochloride pills
Three alprazolam pills

Pyrtle was arrested and taken to Troop 1. He was charged with the below listed offenses, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11, and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $120,801 cash bond.

Image of James Pyrtle

Possession of a Controlled Substance Tier 3 Quantity (Felony)
Possession with the Intent to Deliver Controlled Substance Tier 3 Quantity (Felony)
Possession of a controlled substance – 4 counts
Expired Tags

Disclaimer: Any individual charged in this release is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.