217 pounds of marijuana found in 18-wheeler on I-40

A California man driving an 18-wheeler cross-country was arrested in Alma early Friday morning after police searched the vehicle and found more than 200 pounds of marijuana inside, according to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

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Highway Police performed a routine search of the rig about 3:30 a.m. at an inspection station on Interstate 40 eastbound. Officers reported finding seven boxes of marijuana weighing a combined 217 pounds in the vehicle's sleeper cab.

The driver, 46-year-old Xiao Jun Duan, was arrested.

Transportation Department spokesman Randy Ort said the truck was bound for New York.

"Somehow [Duan] made it all the way to Arkansas from California, " he said.

It was unclear what alerted to officers to the marijuana. Commercial vehicles are required to stop at the I-40 inspection station, where they're weighed and are subject to random searches. Officers "could've detected something that was a red flag" when the 18-wheeler pulled in, Ort said.

When officers asked to search the truck, according to Ort, the driver consented.

Duan was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

He was being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond at the Crawford County jail in Van Buren late Friday.

Metro on 05/24/2014

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