Calhoun deputies find 700 pounds of marijuana after traffic stop

* Originally published December 7, 2009 at 6:18 p.m., updated December 7, 2009 at 11:05 p.m.

PORT LAVACA - Deputies found more than 700 pounds of marijuana in the back of a truck after a Sunday night traffic stop.

Sgt. Robert Harvey noticed the Ford 4-by-4 speeding down State Highway 35, then turn onto State Highway 185 at 9:45 p.m.

The driver and three other men jumped from the truck once it was stopped, and then ran into the fog, Sheriff B.B. Browning said Monday.

"It was a typical bailout like those illegals do," Browning said.

When Harvey looked in the trunk, he found 12 duffel bags filled with marijuana - totaling 704 pounds.

The truck was bought by a Houston man earlier this month for $3,800, according to paperwork found in the car.

Deputies will try to trace the men through papers found inside the car, Browning said.

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