68 Pounds of Marijuana Seized During Traffic Stop

A traffic stop initiated for following too close turned into a felony drug possession investigation after a Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper found five large duffel bags filled with 59 individual vacuum-sealed bags of dried marijuana on Saturday afternoon.

The vehicle was stopped by a Trooper on Interstate 80 approximately 20 miles east of Elk Mountain according to a release from the Wyoming Highway Patrol. During the stop the Trooper became suspicious and requested a drug detection K-9 from the Carbon County Sheriff's Department.  The K-9 indicated a positive alert to the presence of a controlled substance in the vehicle after which the vehicle officers discovered and then seized just over 68 pounds of marijuana.  Authorities say the marijuana has an approximate street value of $408,000.

The driver and only occupant in the vehicle, 20 year-old Ian Knoop from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was arrested and has been charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says Knoop was traveling from San Francisco to an undisclosed location in Colorado Springs. Special agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation have been called in to assist with the ongoing investigation.