ALMA (KFSM) -- Arkansas Highway Police (AHP) seized a whopping 800 pounds of marijuana from three different stops at the Alma Weigh Station on Interstate 40 over a two week period.
According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), more than 230 pounds of cannabis was seized April 22, 340 pounds on April 30, and 200 pounds on May 6.
In all three cases, the vehicles were either traveling from California or Colorado and heading East. All three of the people caught have been arrested on drug charges.
“There’s no magic pill on finding illegal narcotics. It’s just getting out there every day, doing your job, looking for criminal indicators of a possible crime being committed and just following through,” said 1st Lt. Timothy Gushing of AHP.
Although it’s part of the job, Lt. Gushing says one of the reasons for an increase in drug busts can be attributed to an increase in the number of men and women on shifts.
“We were probably averaging two people per shift, so probably six per day. But now, we are averaging up to four or five a shift,” he said.
Although there have been more drug busts, Lt. Gushing says the quantities of marijuana being transported hasn’t increased.
These new employees started last June and were responsible for all but one of the most recent seizures. Lt. Gushing attributes their success in drug busts to getting more familiar with their jobs.
Since being seized, the marijuana has been weighed, counted, sealed, and stored at the Arkansas State Crime Lab.
Currently, Lt. Gushing says 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles pass through the weigh station each day.