On Monday August 31, at approximately 1:30 pm, Cochise County Sheriff’s Deputies on patrol in the Elfrida area attempted to make contact with the driver of a 1994 green and tan Ford truck.  This vehicle was observed entering private property located in the 12000 block of North Highway 191.

A total of 115 pounds of marijuana was discovered in the engine compartment of GMC pcikup stopped near Benson.

Upon entering onto the property, two Hispanic males quickly exited the truck and ran West into the brush. Deputies approached the vehicle and observed approximately ten bundles in the bed of the truck in plain sight. Upon further investigation the bundles were found to contain a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana. 

Deputies searched the surrounding area in an attempt to locate the occupants of the truck without success.  The bundles and the vehicle were seized by the Sheriff’s Office and transported to a secure facility for processing.  The marijuana had a total weight of 226.7 pounds.

DPS Officers seize two more marijuana loads in Cochise County

Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers have seized two more marijuana loads in Cochise County in the last 24 hours.

On September 3, at about 4:00 p.m., a DPS officer stopped a 1979 GMC pickup for following too close on I-10 westbound at milepost 302 (one mile west of Benson).  After a Border Patrol canine alerted to the truck, officers found 115 pounds of marijuana in the engine compartment.  Jason Lowry, 34, of Peoria, Ariz., was arrested for possession and transportation of marijuana for sale and booked into the Cochise County Jail.

On September 4, at about 9:44 a.m., a DPS officer attempted to stop a 2008 Chevrolet pickup for speeding and following too close on I-10 westbound at milepost 307 (three miles east of Benson).  The driver accelerated and attempted to flee from the officer, reaching speeds of over 110 mph.  The pickup stopped on the off-ramp at milepost 304, and the driver and passenger bailed out and fled on foot.  A DPS Officer, with the assistance of a DPS canine, chased and captured one of the occupants.  DPS Highway Patrol units conducted a search for the other occupant and were assisted by the DPS Ranger helicopter based in Tucson along with officers from the Benson Police Department.  Officers in the air located the second suspect hiding and were able to direct ground units to the area to take him into custody.  Located in the passenger compartment of the truck was 95 pounds of marijuana.

Adolfo Plascencia-Bustamante, 30, of Douglas, Ariz., and Fatima Isabel Garcia-Lopez, 19, of Mexico, were arrested for felony flight, along with possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.

Total marijuana seizures for DPS Officers in Cochise County exceeded 1,800 pounds for the month of August.  This includes seizures made not only by DPS highway patrol officers, but officers assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division at DPS.