RIDGELAND P.D. SEIZES NEW TYPE OF MARIJUANA

Ridgeland police confiscated dozens of pounds of a new type of potent
Canadian marijuana during a traffic stop Friday that may be worth nearly
half a million dollars.

Two members of the department's new Interstate Criminal Enforcement team
stopped a car at about 1 p.m. for following another vehicle too closely.

During the traffic stop, on southbound Interstate 95, they allegedly found
marijuana in sealed plastic bags tucked in a suitcase in the trunk.

The amount was estimated at 60 to 100 pounds, said Investigator Chris
Stevers.

The marijuana is believed to be "B.C. bud," a new type of pot out of British
Columbia, Canada, that is five times more potent than normal marijuana,
Stevers said.

Its estimated street value is about $5,000 per pound, he said.

The driver, a Canadian man, was arrested but additional details were not
available Friday.

The Interstate Criminal Enforcement team is part of a new initiative partly
funded through a federal grant, aimed at catching drug shipments on I-95.