Arkansas State Police troopers have made a string of major drug seizures across the state in recent weeks, pulling more than 775 pounds of illegal narcotics off the road and arresting multiple suspects.
The most recent stop came Wednesday, February 17th, when troopers pulled over a grey sedan on Interstate 40 eastbound in Crawford County around 4:15 p.m. A search of the vehicle turned up approximately 45 pounds of marijuana vacuum-sealed in the trunk. Passenger Jatorria Lewis of Memphis was arrested and booked into the Crawford County Detention Center on felony drug charges. Lewis had been traveling from Oklahoma City to Little Rock using a ride-booking service. The driver was released with a traffic warning.
The day before, on February 16th, the U.S. Marshals Service notified troopers that they had lost pursuit of a vehicle out of Memphis. Troopers located the vehicle and suspect Gevonte Brown, 24, of Memphis, in a hotel parking lot in Marion. Brown fled on foot but was quickly taken into custody. Troopers recovered 19 pounds of marijuana and two firearms, one of which was confirmed stolen. Brown, who had outstanding warrants out of Tennessee, was booked into the Crittenden County Detention Center on multiple felony charges.
On February 6th, a trooper stopped a Nissan Rogue on Interstate 30 eastbound in Hot Spring County and discovered approximately 115 pounds of methamphetamine packed inside cardboard boxes. The driver, Pedro Lorenzo Valdez, 45, was arrested and booked into the Hot Spring County Detention Center on felony trafficking and related charges. Valdez told investigators he was headed from Dallas to Little Rock.
The largest seizure in the group came January 29th, when troopers stopped a Sprinter van on Interstate 40 eastbound near Carlisle and found 24 trash bags containing roughly 600 pounds of marijuana along with 15 boxes of THC products. The driver, Kemal Malicbegovic, 44, of Greensboro, North Carolina, was booked into the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Detention Center on felony trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia charges. Malicbegovic said he was traveling from Los Angeles to Greensboro.
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