Nebraska State Patrol troopers stopped 44-year-old Virginia driver William Gomez on 4 September 2026 in an eastbound semi on Interstate 80 between Cozad and Lexington for driving on the shoulder and speeding in a construction zone.[1] Troopers said they smelled marijuana coming from the truck before searching it.[2] Gomez was arrested and booked into the Dawson County Jail.[1] He was charged in Dawson County Court with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance without a tax stamp and possession of more than a pound of marijuana.[1] A judge set his bond at $100,000, with 10 percent required for release.[1] He was due back in court for a preliminary hearing on 22 September.[2]

The search found 27 pallets holding 12 to 18 boxes each, with each box holding 20 sealed one-pound packages of marijuana.[1] A later Nebraska State Patrol inventory put the marijuana portion at approximately 5,200 pounds (about 2,359 kg).[3] The same trailer also held about 13,600 pounds of THC products and 1,000 pounds of psilocybin products, making a combined load of roughly 19,800 pounds.[3] The patrol estimated the whole shipment’s street value at more than $50 million.[3]

State officials called it the agency’s largest drug interdiction by volume.[3] Investigators had not disclosed the shipment’s origin or intended destination.[3]