I-80 traffic stop yields 162 pounds of pot

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper seized a truckload of marijuana worth up to $810,000 Saturday on Interstate 80.

The 162 pounds of pot, wrapped in freezer bags, was on its way from northern California to Minnesota, said UHP Sgt. Larry Mower.

Near the Salt Lake-Tooele county line, a K-9 trooper, who patrols Salt Lake County, noticed a gray pickup swerve out of its lane, and he pulled it over, Mower said. After talking to the truck's 56-year-old female driver, the trooper became suspicious when the woman's story became increasingly sketchy. The trooper had his dog walk around the truck.

Near the back side of the truck, the dog indicated drugs could be on board, and when the trooper investigated further, he found several large duffel bags filled with marijuana.

It's the trooper's fourth drug bust this year and the largest haul of his career.

The driver was expected to be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on investigation of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

I-80 is a heavily traveled area for drugs, Mower said, and troopers consistently make seizures along the highway.

E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com