Florida man arrested after 850 lbs of marijuana found in his U-Haul
Florida man arrested after California Highway Patrol officer discovers U-Haul truck with approximately 850 pounds of black market marijuana.
According to a news release by CHP, on Sunday at around 3:40 p.m., officer Mike Bell spotted the truck traveling north on Kirby Road near the intersection of State Road-371 in an unincorporated area of Riverside County. Bell noticed the truck was missing a front license plate and conducted an enforcement stop.
The news release revealed that during the stop, Bell noticed a very strong odor of fresh marijuana as he was walking up to the truck. When questioned about the smell, the driver, later identified as Justin Martel, 31, of Miami, Florida, allegedly told Bell that the back of the U-Haul was completely full of fresh marijuana that he had just harvested.
Martel said he planned on selling the marijuana to local stores for over $1,000 per pound. Martel did not have a permit to cultivate, transport or sell marijuana in California, according to CHP.
Although Proposition 64 legalized marijuana in California, transportation of the drug is highly regulated.
Martel was arrested and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, a misdemeanor in California. He was held on $5,000 bail and was released on Monday. He is due in court on November 28.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
