Interstate 5 traffic stop nets 28 pounds of pot
It's $140,000 worth; three men arrested

October 11, 2008
ASHLAND — A traffic stop on Interstate 5 near the Siskiyou Summit netted 28 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $140,000 and the arrest of three suspected illegal aliens in the car, authorities said.

Oregon State Police troopers said they found the high-grade marijuana after a traffic stop at 9:26 a.m. Thursday on northbound I-5 near milepost 11 just south of Ashland. The marijuana was packaged in vacuum-sealed bags that were found in black garbage bags concealed in the trunk of the BMW 228i with a California license plate, the OSP said.

An OSP drug-detection dog assisted in the seizure, police said.

Troopers arrested the car's driver, 21-year-old Jose Maria Valencia-Ceballos, along with passengers Jose Luis Chavez-Rodriquez, 32, and Gerrado Aguilar Barreto, 18. They all gave troopers addresses from San Pablo, Calif., records show.

They were each taken into custody on charges of possession, distribution and manufacturing of marijuana. They were lodged in Jackson County Jail, where they were being held without bail while their immigration status was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, jail records show.

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