Suspicious package found at Sparta motel

Police say they found marijuana, tobacco, cigarette papers and a stack of white papers.

Hotel staff reported a black duffel bag in a “densely vegetated area” behind the hotel. Staff did not know who owned the bag or its origins, according to the Sparta Police Department.

Officers say they discovered two large bags of marijuana inside, which contained smaller bags, bags of tobacco and cigarette papers.

Officers field tested a stack of paper sheets, each coated with a white crystalline substance resembling a hardened paste. Field testing confirmed the substance to be cocaine.

All evidence will be turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for further testing and analysis.