Notice to Media

Highway Police Continue String of Large Marijuana Seizures in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK (4-4) – Arkansas Highway Police officers continued their string of large drug seizures this week when an eastbound I-40 truck was found to have approximately 1,600 pounds of marijuana hidden in the trailer, according to AHTD Director Dan Flowers.

The truck was stopped at the Lehi weigh station near West Memphis on Tuesday afternoon for a routine inspection when the drugs were discovered. The marijuana was concealed in a shipment of oranges and lemons bound for Johnstown, New York from Lindsey, California. Twelve boxes of marijuana were found during a check of the trailer after officers discovered a discrepancy in the driver’s record of driving time.

The 29-year-old driver of the truck listed an address as Pomona, California. He was arrested by AHP officers on a felony charge of Illegal Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver. He is being held at the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department. He is expected to be arraigned in the West Memphis Municipal Court later today.

This is the fourth large load of illegal drugs confiscated by the AHP over the past two weeks. So far this year, Highway Police officers have uncovered over three tons of marijuana. “Our officers are extremely diligent in their duties. They are quick to react when they see something suspicious,” Flowers noted.

“These officers take their job very seriously. They look for little discrepancies that their training tells them may be an indication of other illegal activities,” Arkansas Highway Police Chief Ron Burks said.

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