Idaho State Police Seize More Than 6,700 Pounds of Marijuana
BOISE, Idaho (KLIX) – An Oregon truck driver is behind bars in the Gem State after Idaho State Police seized more than 6,700 pounds of marijuana from a commercial vehicle.
It is the largest pot bust in the agency's history, police said on Tuesday.
Police said 31 large bags were found in the Oregon-registered commercial rig driven by Denis V. Palamarchuk, 36, of Portland, Ore., on Jan. 24.
The seizure and arrest happened after a trooper assigned to the ISP Commercial Vehicle Safety section conducted an inspection of the commercial tractor-trailer between Boise and Mountain Home.
As part of the inspection, the trooper inspected the cargo's bill of lading, which declared the load as hemp. The trooper was suspicious, however, that the cargo was in fact marijuana after seeing a leafy green substance resembling pot. After using a Narcotic Identification Kit, the substance tested presumptive positive for THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. A drug-sniffing dog also demonstrated a positive alert on the cargo, police said.
Palamarchuk was arrested and booked into the Ada County Jail on the felony charge of trafficking in marijuana. Police said a sample of the cargo, which weighed 6,701 pounds, is being tested at a laboratory for conclusive analysis.
"This is the largest Idaho State Police trafficking seizure of this type in any present-day trooper's memory," ISP Director Col. Kedrick Wills said in a statement.