LAKE COUNTY — A routine traffic stop in northwest Indiana on Tuesday led to the seizure of more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana.
According to a report from the Indiana State Police, a trooper stopped a vehicle on Interstate 65 near the 240-mile marker in Lake County. Troopers said the driver of the van was stopped for a moving violation. During the investigation, which included a police K-9 sniff of the exterior of the vehicle, troopers discovered 38 large boxes and six black garbage bags.
State police said inside the boxes there were 1,264 individually sealed bags weighing approximately 1.5 pounds that contained suspected marijuana. A field test confirmed the material to be marijuana, troopers said.
The total amount of seized marijuana was approximately 1,275 pounds. State police said a conservative estimate of the street value of the seized marijuana is between $5.7 million and $8.5 million.
The driver of the van, a 31-year-old man from McKinleyville, Calif., was arrested without incident and taken to the Lake County Jail. The man is being held on suspicion of dealing marijuana and suspicion of possession of marijuana with prior conviction.
