NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEBRASKA STATE PATROL
www.nsp.state.ne.us
Contact:  Deb Collins 402-479-4985
January 16, 2008   

100 Pounds of Marijuana Seized during Traffic Stop

(Lincoln, NE) – A routine traffic stop on Interstate 80 just west of the Waverly Interchange led to the seizure of 100 lbs. of marijuana and the arrest of a Phoenix, Arizona man for Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver.
   Around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, a K-9 Officer with the Nebraska State Patrol Headquarters Troop- Lincoln stopped a 2002 Chevy Avalanche near MM 408.  The Trooper’s canine indicated an odor of drugs coming from the vehicle.   A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 100 lbs. of marijuana.  The marijuana was packaged in five-pound plastic bags, hidden inside larger garbage bags in the cargo area of the vehicle.   The marijuana has an estimated street value of $75,000 to $100,000.00. 
  The driver of the vehicle 41-year-old Ipolito Garcia, of Phoenix, Arizona was lodged in the Lancaster County Jail on a charge of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver.

###