Police seize 824 pounds of pot in I-40 traffic stops

Six traffic stops last week by the Arkansas State Police on Interstate 40 resulted in the seizure of 824 pounds of illegal marijuana, 2,638 pounds of illegal marijuana products and multiple weapons, the agency announced.

Five of the seizures took place in Crawford County, and three took place on the same day.

The first occurred on Feb. 14, when police arrested Jezreel Otey, 29, of Little Rock, and Robert Sanders, 33, and Ciara Hewlett, 27, both of North Little Rock, on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.

About 2 p.m., police pulled over a tractor-trailer carrying three trucks at mile-marker 1 in the eastbound lane in Crawford County.

A search found 18 bags of contraband marijuana, weighing a total of 412 pounds, concealed inside the trucks.

Two children were also in the tractor-trailer.

Troopers seized the three trucks that were being hauled, and the two children were transferred to the Department of Human Services.

Hewlett had an outstanding felony arrest warrant out of Little Rock.

Six day later, Thomas Elliott, 51, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., was arrested on charges of illegal possession of drugs and firearms.

Elliott was pulled over at 12:10 p.m. in a black GMC pickup in the eastbound lane at mile-marker 8 on Interstate 40 in Crawford County.

He told a trooper that he was traveling from Oregon to Florida.

A search of the truck found nine duffel bags containing 211 pounds of illegal marijuana in 190 vacuum-sealed bags.

Troopers also discovered a loaded .357 Magnum revolver in a fanny pack on the passenger side of the vehicle, along with $3,978.

That same day, Wynton Foy, 33, of Snellville, Ga., and De’Ja Johnson, 28, of Atlanta, were arrested on charges of drug possession with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal possession of drugs and firearms.

The duo was pulled over in a white Chevrolet Suburban traveling east on I-40 at mile-marker 5 in Crawford County.

A police search of the vehicle resulted in three large boxes containing 50 pounds of illegal marijuana in the rear cargo area, plus a 9mm Glock handgun in the center console.

Two days later, on Feb. 22, troopers arrested Janet Arreola, 29, and Jose Escobedo, 35, both of Cumming, Ga., on charges of trafficking controlled substances and endangering the welfare of a minor.

They were pulled over about 10:30 a.m. in a white Silverado pickup towing an enclosed trailer, due to a traffic violation.

Inside the trailer were 2,628 pounds of illegal marijuana vapes and 21 pounds of contraband marijuana.

On Feb, 20, Zang Xiong, 34, of Holmen, Wis., was charged with felony drug possession with intent to deliver.

Xiong was stopped in a black 2023 Chevrolet Equinox near mile-marker 173 in Lonoke County, for a traffic violation.

He told the police he was traveling to Mississippi from Oklahoma.

A search of the car found a shrink-wrapped package containing 119 bundles of illegal marijuana weighing a total of 126 pounds.

On Feb. 22, Chip Ervin, 45, of Mississippi was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was stopped at 4:04 p.m. while driving a gold Chevrolet Malibu near mile-marker 2 in Crawford County.

A search of the car found 4 pounds of illegal marijuana and 10 pounds of illegal marijuana products.