RIVERSIDE COUNTY (KABC) -- A California Highway Patrol officer seized approximately 850 pounds of marijuana from a U-Haul truck in an unincorporated area of Riverside County.
The incident occurred on Sept. 30 at about 3:40 p.m. when CHP officer Mike Bell stopped a U-Haul truck going north on Kirby Road near the intersection of SR-371.
Bell noticed the truck was missing a front license plate and smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle as he walked past it.
Justin Martel, a 31-year-old man from Miami, admitted the U-Haul was carrying marijuana. Authorities say he planned on selling his harvest to local marijuana stores for over $1,000 per pound.
Martel was arrested and booked for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, a misdemeanor in California, as he did not have a permit to cultivate, transport or sell marijuana in the state.
Proposition 64 legalized marijuana in California, but transportation of the drug remains highly regulated.
CHP seizes 850 pounds of marijuana from U-Haul truck in Riverside County
