743 pounds of marijuana seized in Preble County

PREBLE COUNTY, Ohio (OSP, WDTN) - An Arizona man is facing felony drug charges after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized 743 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $1,686,610 following a traffic stop in Preble County.

Troopers stopped a Ford pickup, with fictitious plates, for an improper lane change violation on Interstate 70 Thursday morning.  A drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed 36 vacuum sealed and shrink wrapped bundles of marijuana, weighing approximately 743 pounds concealed in the cargo area of the van.

The driver, Isaac Chavez, 37, of Tuscan, Arizona., was incarcerated in the Preble County Jail and charged with possession of marijuana, a second-degree felony, possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony, and fictitious registration, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, he could face up to 9 years in prison and up to a $12,500 fine.

This was the second-largest marijuana seizure of 2012. In March troopers seized 2,500 pounds of marijuana on Interstate 70 in Madison County.

Drug seizures overall have significantly increased this year compared with the record-setting achievements of 2011. Through October 2012, state troopers seized 151 percent more marijuana and 295 percent more heroin than in 2011.