Madison Co. Sheriff's Department busts drivers for 67 pounds of marijuana

The Madison County Sheriff’s Department made a significant drug bust early Wednesday morning after deputies pulled over a vehicle carrying 67 pounds of high-grade marijuana.

According to Madison County Sheriff John Mehr, Deputy James Martin was on his way to another call at 3 a.m. when he observed a Hyundai Genesis speeding and driving erratically along I-40 west near mile-marker 93.

During the stop, Mehr said Martin noticed “marijuana residue” in the vehicle’s console, and proceeded to conduct a search.

In total, Martin discovered 67 pounds of “high-grade marijuana” and arrested two adults.

Neither of them are Tennessee residents, though Mehr would not confirm where they were from.

A firearm was also recovered from the vehicle.

“That was a good lick right there—sometimes (these cases) just fall in your hands, and we were fortunate to get those drugs off the street,” Mehr said, explaining that Martin originally pulled the men over “to check on and protect the individuals in the car” after observing their erratic driving.

While Mehr could not confirm if there had been a rise in drug busts this year, he noted that this is the “season” for higher drug arrests.

“Of course I-40 is a very busy corridor across the nation, and lots (of drugs) go up and down that highway,” he said.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Department was involved in a similar bust earlier this week in Humboldt, where the West Tennessee Drug Taskforce recovered 35 pounds of marijuana, four ounces of cocaine, and 30 pounds of methamphetamines—marking the largest drug bust in the WTDT history.

“We were very pleased to have these two cases one right after another,” Mehr said. “We’re happy that this happened. We’re involved in lots of these, but it’s not often to this amount…Those drugs probably would’ve been on the streets in Madison County.”

Gates and Jackson are currently in the Madison County Jail, with Gates facing three charges including drug charges and traffic violations, and Jackson facing one drug charge.

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This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Sheriff's Department busts drivers for 67 pounds of marijuana