Two charged over 70 lb of marijuana found in Montana traffic stop
James Yannick Van Sluytman, a Guyanese national, and Bing Yuan Liang were charged in Montana after a trooper found about 70 pounds of suspected marijuana and US$1,700 in cash in their rented car on Interstate 90. Both were held on US$125,000 bail.
🇺🇸 Interstate 90 at mile marker 408, Stillwater County, Montana · Montana, United States
Arrested
2
Charged
2
Cannabis
31.75 kg
Cash confiscated
USD 1,700
Agencies
Montana Highway Patrol, Stillwater County Attorney's Office +1
James Yannick Van Sluytman, 32, of Guyana, and Bing Yuan Liang, 46, were
arrested on Interstate 90 in Stillwater County, Montana, on 16 January 2018
after a trooper stopped their rented car.[1]A Montana Highway Patrol trooper
pulled the car over at mile marker 408 after it travelled well below the speed
limit, pulled into the passing lane without signalling and swerved onto the
shoulder.[1]Van Sluytman was driving and produced a Guyanese passport; the
trooper noticed orange peels strewn about the car.[2]
The men gave conflicting accounts of the trip, Van Sluytman saying they were
heading to North Dakota to sell soy sauce and Liang saying Chicago to sell
beauty products.[2]Van Sluytman consented to a search of the car, in which
the trooper found approximately 70 pounds (31.75 kilograms) of suspected
marijuana in vacuum-sealed packages and US$1,700 in cash.[2]Both men were
charged with one felony count of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to
distribute under court documents filed by the Stillwater County Attorney’s
Office.[1]They were held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility with
bail set at US$125,000 each.[2]
Stillwater County News reported the case on 25 January 2018 as one of a run of
Interstate 90 traffic stops that had netted 90 pounds of marijuana and eight
pounds of methamphetamine in six weeks.[1]
Photos and video
Booking photograph of James Yannick Van Sluytman published with the report on the I-90 stop. Photo: Yellowstone County Detention Facility, via Stillwater County NewsPhoto details
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Source: Stillwater County NewsBooking photograph of Bing Yuan Liang published with the report on the I-90 stop. Photo: Yellowstone County Detention Facility, via Stillwater County NewsPhoto details
The incident is placed at Interstate 90 mile marker 408 in Stillwater County and the coordinates mark Columbus, the county seat, rather than the exact stopping point.
The 70 pounds is described only as suspected marijuana, with no laboratory confirmation or separate net weight reported.
The charge is one felony count of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute; the article does not state the state statute or the potential penalty.
No court outcome, plea or later proceedings for either man were found in the opened sources.
The booking photographs are published by Stillwater County News, which credits them only through the image title as Yellowstone County Detention Facility pictures.
The wider I-90 seizure totals of 90 pounds of marijuana and eight pounds of methamphetamine in six weeks refer to other stops and are not counted in this event's figures.
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