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'Slowpoke' strikes again: Men arrested on I-70 with 85 pounds of marijuana
Two men face felony drug charges after arousing suspicion by driving less than the posted speed limit in the passing lane of Interstate 70 Wednesday afternoon.
It is the third time in less than two months that a violation of Indiana's so-called "Slowpoke Law" has yielded a substantial drug bust in the same dozen-mile stretch of I-70.
In this case, the two men allegedly had 85 pounds of marijuana in the back of their rented minivan.
Around 1 p.m., Maj. Dwight Simmons of the Putnam County Sheriff's Department stopped a Dodge Grand Caravan with Illinois plates eastbound near the 47-mile marker, having observed that the van was impeding the flow of traffic for the numerous passenger vehicles that were following.
Upon making contact with the driver, 36-year-old Yazan Musa Jamhour of Columbus, Ohio, and the passenger, 58-year-old Robert Lee Smith of Eureka, Calif., Simmons became suspicious of their travel itinerary.
Both men gave consent to search the van and K9 officer Bo was utilized, resulting in a positive alert to the odor of narcotics.
A subsequent search of the van yielded two large duffel bags containing high-grade marijuana. The approximate weight of the contraband was 85 pounds with an estimated street value of $340,000.
Jamhour and Smith were booked in the Putnam County Jail shortly before 3 p.m., preliminarily charged with Level 5 felony dealing in marijuana and possession of marijuana.
"Our office is committed to stopping the flow of drugs that plague our nation and systematically destroy lives," Sheriff Scott Stockton said. "I am very proud of the efforts made every day by my deputies."
The case has been turned over to the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office for the filing of official charges.
The two previous slowpoke cases also yielded marijuana arrests, though one also resulted in a more serious narcotic arrest.
On Nov. 30, Indiana State Police stopped an SUV near the 40-mile marker, just west of Cloverdale, finding 11 pounds of marijuana.
Both Veronica McClam of Beaufort, S.C., and Daniel Wade of Longmont, Colo., were initially charged with felony dealing in marijuana and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
However, the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office filed only misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.
Then on Dec. 19, a Detroit woman was stopped at the 52-mile marker in western Morgan County. A search yielded 47 grams of heroin, 134 grams of marijuana and a stolen handgun.
Shannon Hadley was initially charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, dealing in a narcotic drug and possession of marijuana.