I-40 traffic stops net loads of 'pot'

Troopers seize 1,153 pounds from two California drivers

Arkansas State Police troopers made two large marijuana arrests on Interstate 40 in Pope County within days of each other.

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The latest was the arrest Monday of Heidi Hampton, 50, of Redding, Calif. According to the state police, Hampton was driving a pickup pulling a trailer east on the interstate near London when she was pulled over for swerving outside the traffic lane.

The trooper received permission from Hampton to search the vehicle and found 253 pounds of marijuana hidden in the trailer.

The state police stopped another pickup pulling a trailer Jan. 29 that was driven by Mario Soto of Rialto, Calif. During that stop, the trooper found nearly 900 pounds of marijuana hidden in the trailer.

State police spokesman Bill Sadler said Friday it has been acknowledged for decades that Interstate 40 is a major marijuana pipeline.

"From California to North Carolina, Interstate 40 is one of the preferred land routes for drug traffickers," he said.

Sadler said it is not unusual for a trooper to make multiple drug arrests while patrolling the interstate.

Troopers sometimes get intelligence that someone is transporting illegal drugs through the state, Sadler said. Other times, they request to search vehicles when they see something out of place or unusual and discover hidden drugs.

According to the Pope County prosecuting attorney's office, Hampton was booked into the Pope County jail on a charge of possession with intent to deliver between 100 and 500 pounds of marijuana. Formal charges will be filed closer to her March 14 arraignment date in circuit court, according to prosecutors.

Following a bond hearing Wednesday before Pope County District Judge Donald Bourne, Hampton was released on a $20,000 bond.

Bond for Soto, 33, was set at $100,000. He also is scheduled to be arraigned March 14. He was being held on charges of drug trafficking and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms.

State Desk on 02/06/2016

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