It's that special time of year for stoners all across Arizona -- time to harvest the chronic. Don't get too excited, the Arizona Department of Public Safety is on the prowl.
In the past week, the DPS has seized more than1,300 pounds of weed in the town of Benson alone (single tear).
Last Wednesday, at 4:30 in the morning, DPS officers pulled over a truck on State Route 90 near Benson. The drivers stopped the car, took off into the desert, and were never found, but the 1,220 pounds of weed they left in the truck certainly was.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found what they describe as a "tunnel" under the flatbed, where the drivers had stashed the ganja.
In a separate stop, 25-year-old Michael Florez of Phoenix was pulled over on Interstate 10 for following too close. Police discovered he was driving with a suspended license, and searched his car.
It didn't take long for officers to find the 97 pounds of weed in Florez's trunk.
Florez wasn't as lucky as the folks who scampered off into the desert; he was arrested and charged with possession.
In yet a third stop, this one on Monday, DPS officers found about 55 pounds of hippy fuel during a routine traffic stop.
Jessica Zimmerman, 22, of Benson, refused to let officers search her car when she stopped, so the fuzz called in the dogs.
A K-9 unit sniffed out the dope, which was hidden in a diaper box, and in a bag of dog food.
If you happen to be driving around with a bunch of weed in your car, is hiding it in a bag of dog food your best option? You have to consider that if you get stopped and a K-9 is called in, it might be the first place a dog is gonna sniff.
Zimmerman was arrested and is awaiting a preliminary hearing in Sierra Vista November 6.
