Notice to Media

Highway Police Officers Discover Load of Marijuana

    LITTLE ROCK (4-18) – Officers from the Arkansas Highway Police Division of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department have discovered a large shipment of marijuana, according to AHTD Director Dan Flowers.

    On Sunday evening, April 16, a car stopped behind the Arkansas Highway Police weigh station at Lehi near West Memphis on Interstate 40.    An AHP officer noticed the driver taking a duffle bag out of the car.  The driver of the car, Robert Douglas Scantland, 26 of Cookeville, Tennessee, was questioned about the contents of the bag.  Scantland admitted that there were drugs inside the bag.  A subsequent search of the bag revealed approximately 57 pounds of marijuana.

    Scantland was arrested and booked into the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.  Scantland is being held at the Crittenden County Jail under a $50,000 bond.  A passenger in Scantland’s vehicle was questioned and released.

    This is the third load of illegal drugs that have been discovered along Arkansas’ highways in the last two months.  In early March officers uncovered a shipment of 250 pounds of marijuana on Interstate 30.  Earlier this month, Highway Police officers discovered approximately 600 pounds of marijuana and approximately 4.4 pounds of cocaine, along with a 9mm pistol and $1,987 in cash.

    “Arrests such as this prove that the specialized training required for our Highway Police officers is worth it,” Flowers said.  

    “Once again, our drug interdiction tactics have paid off in a big way,” Highway Police Chief Ron Burks noted.

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For Further Information Contact:

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
10324 Interstate 30, Little Rock, AR 72209
Tel: 501-569-2000
FAX: 501-569-2400
e-mail: info@arkansashighways.com