The Arkansas State Police on Friday announced four arrests since late last month that netted a total of 779 pounds of illegal drugs.
Around 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, troopers pulled over a ride-share driver in a gray sedan on Interstate 40 in Crawford County, near the 2 mile marker, on a traffic violation, according to a state police news release.
A search of the car, which had been headed from Oklahoma City to Little Rock, revealed around 45 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed packages in the car’s trunk, the release says.
The passenger, Jatorria Lewis of Memphis, was booked into the Crawford County jail on felony drug charges, the release says. The driver was let go with a traffic warning, the release says.
Around 7 a.m. on Monday, the U.S. Marshals Service alerted state police they had lost a vehicle they were pursuing in Memphis. Troopers later found the vehicle and suspect, Gevonte Brown, 24, of Memphis, in a hotel parking lot in Marion, the release says.
Brown fled on foot but was arrested and transported to the Crittenden County jail, where he was booked in on multiple felony charges, the release says. Troopers found 19 pounds of marijuana and two guns, one of which had been reported stolen.
Around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 6, a trooper stopped a Nissan Rogue driving east on Interstate 30 near the 88 mile marker in Hot Spring County. A search found approximately 115 pounds of methamphetamine in cardboard boxes, the release says.
The driver, Pedro Lorenzo Valdez, 45, was booked into the Hot Spring County jail on felony drug trafficking and related charges. He told investigators he was driving from Dallas to Little Rock, the release says.
On Jan. 29, around 5:30 p.m., a trooper stopped a Sprinter van driving east on I-40 near Carlisle and found 24 trash bags containing about 600 pounds of illegal marijuana and 15 boxes of THC products.
The driver, Kemal Malicbegovic, 44, of Greensboro, N.C., was booked into Lonoke County jail on drug trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia, the release says. He told investigators he was traveling from Los Angeles to Greensboro, the release says.
