3,000 Pounds Of Pot Found In Truck
Driver Taken Into Custody
POSTED: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
UPDATED: 7:14 am CDT October 21,
2009
PATTON VILLAGE, Texas -- A drug-sniffing dog made a big find Tuesday night at a Montgomery County truck stop, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit Deputy Tom Thompson walked his K-9, Bianca, at around the Flying J truck stop on the Eastex Freeway near state Highway 242 in Patton Village, Texas.
Bianca gave a positive air sniff on a refrigerated truck, detectives said.
Thompson checked the truck's license plate and discovered that it was uninsured and its registration had expired, officials said.
Deputies waited for the driver to come out and they told him about the dog's reaction to his truck. The driver gave deputies permission to search the truck, officials said.
The truck was carrying watermelons, oranges and about 3,000 pounds of marijuana, deputies said.
"We crawled on top of the load and located all these bundles of marijuana," Deputy Buddy Kellum said.
The marijuana was wrapped and sealed in plastic.
The 18-wheeler originated in the Mission/Edinburg area in south Texas near the border with Mexico, deputies said.
The driver, whose name was not released, was taken into custody.
According to state law, if the driver is charged with possession of marijuana and is convicted, he could face five to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
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