101 pounds of marijuana were seized in a recent Central Florida traffic stop on I-4.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the man after deputies found more than 100 pounds of marijuana inside a freight crate.
HCSO’s Interdiction Criminal Apprehension Team (ICAT) initiated a traffic stop on I-4 Westbound near 50th Street North in Tampa. The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado was pulled over for multiple traffic violations, according to law enforcement.
The driver, later identified as 38-year-old Domonic Renalda Smith, had rented the vehicle approximately 90 minutes before the traffic stop, to pick up a large wooden crate from a nearby freight company.
A law enforcement K-9, trained to detect the odor of narcotics, was called to the scene and alerted to the presence of drugs inside the vehicle. Upon further investigation, deputies opened the crate and discovered 101.3 pounds of marijuana, packaged in 72 air-sealed plastic bags.
The crate had been shipped from California to the Tampa Bay area, consistent with known narcotics trafficking methods.
“This arrest is another example of how our specialized teams are working proactively to stop the flow of illegal drugs into Hillsborough County,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Drug traffickers may think they can hide behind rented vehicles and shipping crates, but our deputies remain steps ahead. We will not tolerate those who attempt to use our roads and neighborhoods as distribution points for dangerous narcotics.”
Smith was charged with Trafficking in Cannabis (25 to 2,000 pounds).
This remains an active investigation, according to local law enforcement.
