Arkansas State Troopers have seized a record amount of methamphetamine during an arrest along Interstate 40 earlier this week. Troopers discovered 276 pounds of methamphetamine valued at an estimated $10-million dollars (retail/street value) inside the cargo trailer of a commercial carrier truck stopped along Interstate 40.
The seizure from the cross-country shipment is believed to be the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Arkansas law enforcement history.
State Police on Monday afternoon (March 30th) patrolling Lonoke County in the area of Kerr Road and Interstate 40 (eastbound) noticed a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of the highway. A trooper approached the truck to check the driver’s wellbeing.
During a conversation with the driver the trooper was given permission to inspect the cargo trailer where the methamphetamine was subsequently located. The methamphetamine was in both liquid and crystal form.
The truck driver is identified as Javier Leon-Garcia, 53, of Moreno, California. Garcia is charged with trafficking a controlled substance and is being held in the Lonoke County Jail (no bond).
“This case is indicative of what continues to be the escalating threat from methamphetamine and its ravages on Arkansas families,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Director of the Arkansas State Police. “Our State Troopers will continue to be vigilant in their efforts to seize illegal drugs and arrest those who produce and distribute narcotics.”
State Troopers have been assisted in the investigation by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Department, Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.