Iowa State Patrol: Traffic stop nets 431 lbs of marijuana

ADEL, Iowa (AP) – A California man has been arrested after a traffic stop along Interstate 80 southwest of Des Moines turned up more than 430 pounds of marijuana, the Iowa State Patrol said.

A trooper stopped a sport utility vehicle on suspicion of a traffic violation Wednesday night and searched the SUV after smelling a strong odor of raw marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, television station KCCI reported. The search uncovered three large duffle bags containing 258 pounds of THC edibles and five large duffle bags containing about 173 pounds of high-grade marijuana, the patrol said.

The 32-year-old driver from Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of several drug violations. The patrol said he was taking the marijuana to people he knows in Indiana, where he used to live.