Traffic stop leads to the seizure of 1,705 pounds of illegal marijuana

VAN BUREN, Ark — The Arkansas State Police stopped a tractor-trailer on Thursday traveling eastbound on I-40 near the 2-mile mark in Crawford County.

The 2018 tractor-trailer was stopped at 12:30 p.m. for a traffic violation. 

Troopers searched the trailer and found 1,705 pounds of illegal marijuana hidden in 42 boxes and a large duffel bag. 

48-year-old Dawit Asefa of Silver Spring, Maryland and the passenger, Ashenafi Mamo, 39, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, were arrested. 

Both men were transported to the Crawford County Detention Center and faces felony charges of trafficking controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia.