Marijuana or hemp? Police seize record 6,701 pounds of 'THC-containing substance'
Police in Idaho made the biggest drug trafficking bust in the state's history, according to Idaho State Police.
On January 24, an Idaho State Police Trooper inspected a commercial tractor-trailer at the East Boise Port of Entry.
The trucker's bill of lading declared the load to be hemp, but on further inspection, police thought he might be carrying marijuana.
31 bags were inside the rig, which was registered in Oregon.
The trooper says he found a "green, leafy substance which appeared to be marijuana," according to a news release from Idaho State Police.
A drug-sniffing K9 was brought in and positively identified the load as marijuana, not hemp.
The driver, 36-year-old Denis Palamarchuck of Portland, Ore. was arrested for felony trafficking of marijuana.
A sample of the massive 6,701 pound load is being tested at a lab to get a "conclusive analysis."
The 6,701 pounds seized is more than Idaho State Police seized in the past five years combined.
"This is the largest Idaho State Police trafficking seizure of this type in any present-day trooper's memory," said Colonel Kedrick Wills, ISP director.
For comparison, here are the ISP seizure amounts from 2014-2018:
- 2014 - 319 lbs.
- 2015 - 458 lbs.
- 2016 - 507 lbs.
- 2017 - 1,375 lbs.
- 2018 - 2131 lbs.
