Nearly 200 pounds of marijuana confiscated on I-70

Three people were caught carrying large amounts of marijuana in Cooper County this week.

On Monday, Daniel Dominguez Silva and Rosa Maria Velasco Maldonado were pulled over by a Missouri Highway Patrol at mile marker 111 on Interstate 70. According to court documents, the trooper could smell raw marijuana and dryer sheets coming from the vehicle.

The trooper found four large duffel bags containing 112 individually wrapped bundles of marijuana, which weighed approximately 112 pounds, according to the probable cause statement.

Velasco Maldonado had a California driver’s license, and Silva was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.

Then, on Tuesday, a Highway Patrol trooper pulled over Chad Davis because he was following another vehicle too closely, and his license plates were partially covered. The trooper noticed Davis was nervous and asked to search the vehicle.

Another trooper and K-9 unit were called onto the scene. Law enforcement found two duffel bags filled with approximately 80 pounds of marijuana.

Davis was driving with an Illinois driver’s license.

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