An Arizona man is behind bars in Dawson County after troopers found thousands of pounds of marijuana in a box truck on Interstate 80.
The Nebraska State Patrol says around 1:30 Saturday afternoon, a trooper noticed a commercial box truck stopped with mechanical problems on the shoulder of eastbound I-80 near Cozad. The NSP says the trooper stopped to help the driver, 33 year old Nolan Amado of Buckeye, Arizona. They say during the motorist assist, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.
Investigators say the truck was towed to the NSP office in Lexington for a probable cause search. The NSP says during the search, 2,295 pounds of marijuana were found inside cardboard boxes marked as electronics and other items. Investigators say the estimated street value of the marijuana is more than $5 million.
Amado was arrested for possession of marijuana, more than one pound, possession with intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp.