Nearly 200 pounds of marijuana were found in an 18-wheeler during a traffic stop by Mississippi deputies on Interstate 22.

Rod Dalupan Cuerbo, 57, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and possession of stolen goods in Benton County on Tuesday, May 25.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that Cuerbo was arrested Tuesday evening after deputies from the Benton County Sheriff’s Department found 198.21 pounds of marijuana in the 18-wheeler that he was driving.

Deputies were on the lookout for the trailer after they were alerted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation that a stolen 18-wheeler from Georgia was headed toward Benton County from Memphis.

The drugs were found hidden in cardboard boxes in a metal tray with dryer sheets. Deputies confiscated 177 bags of marijuana that weighed 1.12 pounds each. The street value of the drugs is reported to be $297,000.

Cuerbo is currently being held in the Benton County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics assisted with the case.