A 36-year-old Spanish-speaking man with no driver’s license was arrested on Interstate 70 near Grand Junction with 569 pounds of marijuana bundles stuffed in the back of his pickup truck.
Officers said the marijuana is worth more than $500,000.
Arnoldo Escalante-Guiterrez was stopped for a traffic violation Monday afternoon, said Master Trooper Ron Watkins of the Colorado State Patrol.
Escalante-Guiterrez is being held in the Mesa County jail for investigation of possession of 8 ounces or more of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, a lane violation and not having a driver’s license.
Because of the amount of drugs discovered in the pickup, he was also charged with being a “special offender,” Watkins said.
The “Mexican grade” marijuana is worth about $1,000 a pound on the street, Watkins said.
“This is one of our bigger busts,” he said, adding that I-70 has become a major corridor for drugs.
Escalante-Guiterrez spoke little English and did not have a valid driver’s license, Watkins said. The officer also smelled marijuana.
Officers called for a Spanish speaking officer and a State Patrol drug dog.
The dog smelled something in the bed of the 1999 Chevrolet pickup truck, which had a pop-up lid.
Escalante-Guiterrez gave officers permission to open the lid where they found 24 bundles of marijuana.
