1/2 ton of marijuana, ‘magic mushrooms’ seized along I-40 in TN, Russian driver arrested
MEMPHIS, Tenn. –More than 1,000 pounds of marijuana, nearly 50 pounds of “magic mushroom” edibles and $45,000 were seized during a traffic stop Monday night along I-40 in Haywood County, authorities say.
A Russian man driving from California was arrested and charged.
The West Tennessee Drug Task Force said agents with the 30th Judicial District interdiction unit out of Memphis pulled over a sprinter van for the improper display of registration and developed reasonable suspicion to deploy a narcotics canine around the vehicle.
During a search of the van, agents said they found over a 1/2 ton of marijuana, 46 pounds of psilocybin mushroom edibles mainly in the form of chocolate bars, and the cash drug proceeds. West Tennessee Drug Task Force Director Johnie Carter said it was one of their largest busts to date.
“Weight-wise, I believe it’s the biggest one we’ve ever had, to my knowledge. I think we’ve been in business for close to 30 years,” said Carter.
Carter said the boxes of drugs were all labeled with different states, including Tennessee, and it appeared the driver left California with the drugs and had been making deliveries during the trip.
“The farthest away was New York,” Carter said. “It’s what we call a suicide load. It’s just kind of in the back in boxes in the back of a van.”
The driver, identified as Savinov Kirill, 43, was booked in the Haywood County Jail on charges of delivery of a Schedule I and Schedule VI narcotic.
Carter said Kirill is from Russia and has been in the United States for about eight months.
“Those guys did a great job. We just came off the 85 pounds of fentanyl a week ago, and they turned around and pulled off another one. My guys are doing a great job,” said Carter.
On March 10, agents with the West Tennessee Drug Task Force of the 30th Judicial District in Memphis found 85 pounds of fentanyl, worth millions on the street, during a traffic stop along I-40 in Haywood County.
85 pounds of fentanyl found in I-40 traffic stop bust
In that case, Ernesto Ortiz, 42, and Maria Munoz-Arevalo, 25, from Humble, TX, were arrested on charges of delivering a Schedule II controlled substance and are being held on a $5 million bond.
Right now, Kirill is being held without bond.
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