850 Pounds Of Marijuana Discovered In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA -- A recent enforcement stop by the California Highway Patrol led to the discovery of 850 pounds of marijuana. Officials said the incident happened at 3:40 p.m. Sunday when Officer Mike Bell saw a U-Haul box truck with a missing front license plate driving northbound on Kirby Road near the intersection of state Route 371 in Riverside County.

Bell conducted an enforcement stop and noticed a very strong odor of fresh marijuana. When questioned about the marijuana smell, the driver said the back of the U-Haul was completely full of fresh marijuana that he just harvested, CHP officials said.

The driver, identified as Justin Martel, a 31 year old man from Miami, planned on selling it to the local marijuana stores for over $1000 per pound. However, Martel did not have a permit to cultivate, transport or sell marijuana in the state of California, CHP officials said.

Martel was arrested and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, a misdemeanor in California.

--Photos courtesy of the California Highway Patrol