Audio By Carbonatix

When Mississippi Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division officers stopped a semi-truck on I-22 in Lee, County, they probably didn’t expect to find anything crazy. Perhaps the vehicle was overweight or had basic mechanical issues. But then the situation took a surprising turn.

First off, the semi truck trailer set up for auto transport was only moving one vehicle. Strapped onto the back was a single half-ton pickup truck. And the truck driver claimed he was hauling it all the way from his home base in Oklahoma City to to Florida. That might seem like a waste of fuel.

The police officers dug a bit further. When they ran the numbers for the pickup truck, it came back as reported stolen. That’s when they grew truly suspicious.

The pickup truck had its tailgate up and a tonneau cover over its bed. The police officers began to search it. But they only had to drop the tailgate to expose a row of huge black trash bags. Inside the bags? One hundred and eighty five pounds of marijuana hidden atop the semi truck.

Naturally, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics helped out with the bust. The driver was 46-year-old Derrick Lee. He was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana. He also was charged with logbook violation. The bed of a truck may seem like an overlooked place to smuggle contraband. But perhaps Lee should have chosen a pickup truck to haul on his semi that wouldn’t attract attention.