Arizona Department of Public Safety Traffic Stop Results in Largest Marijuana Seizure in Agency History for Traffic Stop Seizures

Last week a Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officer stopped a truck loaded with cattle traveling on Interstate 10, east of Tucson, and located 4,535 pounds of marijuana in the trailer. The truck was stopped for an equipment violation and a commercial vehicle inspection was conducted. A search of the trailer, located the marijuana. Sixty-eight head of cattle were also loaded on the trailer.

The driver, Juan Francisco Aguayo, a Mexican citizen with permanent resident alien status, was arrested. The officer that stopped the truck and the canine officer that assisted are part of the DPS Highway Interdiction Program which combines canine handlers, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers, and specially trained Highway Patrol officers.

DPS records indicate the largest previous seizure of marijuana following a traffic stop was approximately 4,100 pounds, making this seizure the largest of record for the Arizona Highway Patrol Division during a traffic stop.

In the past four months, since the Highway Patrol and the Commercial Vehicle Border Enforcement Program has focused on highway interdiction in the border region, over 5,000 pounds of marijuana, 200 kilos of cocaine, and $1 million dollars in U.S. currency have been seized.