KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Two people arrested in south-central Nebraska are facing possible prison time for hauling marijuana, including some that had fallen onto Interstate 80.
49-year-old Charlie Red, of Sedalia, Colorado, and 29-year-old Damaisy De La Caridad Rodriguez, of Miami, Florida, pleaded no contest Friday in Buffalo County District Court to felony distribution of marijuana. They face up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities say a motorist saw and then picked up a package that fell from a flatbed trailer being pulled by a pickup on Interstate 80 on Jan. 19. It contained marijuana.
The pickup soon stopped on the interstate shoulder, and Red and Caridad Rodriguez eventually were met by a Nebraska state trooper. The trooper then discovered a false compartment on the bottom of the trailer and several plastic bags of marijuana.
The marijuana totaled around 122 pounds (55 kilograms), with an estimated street value of $366,000.