Ice cream truck vendor arrested for possession of marijuana

“Kids see the ice cream truck and they automatically want to run for the ice cream truck,” said Mariana Gardea.

Gardea was enjoying a day at the park with her children and teenage daughter Rebekah. “I’m a teenager and I’m still like this little kid. I’m always like ice cream truck.I get all exited,” said Rebekah Gardea.

Either at the park or down the block, it’s something about an ice cream truck that just tugs at heart.

“You always had a good feeling when you heard the ice cream truck,” said Gardea.

Butan ice cream truck pulled over in El Paso’s lower valley, puts a different spin on the tradition.

Sherrifs deputies saw past its purple-paint and flashy rims, and spotted an expired registration sticker.

That was enough for the deputies to pull over the man behind the wheel of the tricked out truck.

But before they could question the two men inside, deputies say they took off on foot. Deputies caught up with 19-year-old Elijah Sanchez and 29-year-old Anthony Arellano.

Deputies found two Tupperware bowls stuffed with marijuana on Sanchez and they discovered even more inside the truck!

It almost plays out like the movie Friday were a neighborhood drug dealer uses his ice cream truck for dirty dealings.

“It’s an awful story that’s terrible,” said Gardea. “That’s kinda going to the extreme,” said Gardea’s son Benjamin.

FamiliesABC-7 spoke with at a West side park said even if the suspects weren’t peddling pot to kids –the idea is still unsettling.

“If the intention is not for our children to buy it, what if they make a mistake?” said El Paso residentBrenda Aguilar.

“If children that walk home on there own and they make that stop, who knows what there picking up,” said Aguilar.

Gardeatells ABC-7it’s a shame to see good clean fun, get dirty.

“The world that we live in and how unsafe things are getting stuff that seems so innocent isn’t innocent anymore,” said Gardea.

An ABC-7employeesaidhe’s seen the ice cream truck in front of his kids elementary school.

It is important to note that it’s unclear if the suspects were selling the marijuana out of the ice cream truck.

Sherrif’s deputies tellABC-7 Alejandro Arellano has been arrested for numerous charges and previous marijuana offenses.