Arkansas State Police’s Interstate Criminal Patrol, the force’s highway interdiction unit, seized 886 pounds of marijuana and one handgun in six traffic stops on Interstate 40 over 10 days.[1]
Troopers transported driver Jalen Gillispie, 24, of Spencer, Oklahoma, and passenger Daviauna Partee, 21, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the Lonoke County Detention Center after the 29 April stop.[1] Gillispie was charged with possession of a controlled substance, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms and possession of drug paraphernalia, and Partee with possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver.[1] Troopers arrested Carlos Smith, 53, of Louisville, Kentucky, on 30 April and charged him with possession with purpose to deliver a controlled substance, unauthorized usage of property and improper lane change.[1] Mark Williams, 71, was taken into custody on 1 May and charged with possession with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding and expired tags.[1] Marlita Williams, 44, of Hope Mills, North Carolina, was taken into custody on 2 May and charged with possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and careless and prohibited driving.[1]
Five of the six stops were in Lonoke County and one in Conway County, and the loads ranged from 31 pounds to 300 pounds.[2] At the 25 April stop, troopers found 75 pounds of marijuana in three large duffle bags inside a transported vehicle at the 164-mile marker, then another 68 pounds in a later search, 143 pounds in all.[1] The 29 April stop at the 175-mile marker yielded 120 pounds of vacuum-sealed marijuana in six duffle bags and a 9mm handgun.[1] Troopers found 31 pounds of marijuana in a Kia Sportage at the 170-mile marker in Lonoke on 30 April.[1] At the 102-mile marker in Conway County on 1 May, troopers found 70 pounds of marijuana hidden in trash bags in the trunk of a Toyota Corolla.[1] A 2 May search of a Nissan van at the 178-mile marker in Lonoke County found boxes and suitcases holding about 222 pounds of marijuana.[1] On 3 May troopers stopped a Sprinter van at the 171-mile marker and found 11 boxes of vacuum-sealed marijuana weighing about 300 pounds.[1] The six marijuana seizures added together come to the 886 pounds the force reported for the period.[3] The same statement said the Interstate Criminal Patrol team had already confiscated over 4,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in Arkansas in 2024.[3]
Colonel Mike Hagar said the team’s success in intercepting large amounts of illegal drugs in less than two weeks was a testament to its dedication.[1] The vehicles were moving between Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Memphis and Los Angeles toward East Point, Georgia.[1]
