MARIJUANA IS FOUND IN VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY 75

U.S. Highway 75 is a major north-south corridor, used by drug dealers as
well as vacationing and business motorists. Several area law enforcement
officers regularly patrol the highway, using interdiction skills they've
learned through police education to take those drugs out of circulation.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Nick Granelli is one of those officers.
He removed 45 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle Sunday afternoon after
stopping the SUV on several traffic violations. He said it was heading
northward, with its goal being St. Louis and Illinois when he stopped it
about 2:30 p.m. near Spur 503.

Granelli said there were four occupants, a father and son and two other
people. While speaking with the driver, he noticed he was extremely
nervous. Granelli said he also smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle.
He requested backup before going any further. Grayson County Deputy Brian
McClaran answered that call.

Granelli didn't beat around the bush. He asked them directly about having
anything illegal in the SUV. The driver stated he had a "large amount of
marijuana," Granelli said.

At least one-half pound is hydro-weed, which sells for about $500 an ounce
in the Illinois area, according to the trooper. The suspect would have made
about $4000 profit off it.

There was one large brick, still in its layers of shrink-wrap which is
common with marijuana coming from Mexico. The remainder was in large
baggies in varying weights.

The street value of the entire load is an estimated $45,000, Granelli said.

Grayson County Sheriff's Office is making foreclosure claims on the 1998
GMC Jimmy SUV, Granelli said.

He released two passengers, who called family from the Dallas area to come
pick them up.

The father, 59, and son, 23, both went to jail. Both are from Swansea, Ill.
They remain incarcerated on a felony charge of possession of marijuana
between 5 and 50 pounds, with bail set at $10,000 each.