The Nebraska State Patrol is calling a nearly 20,000-pound drug seizure in Dawson County the largest in the agency’s history. During a Monday morning news conference, Governor Jim Pillen joined State Patrol officials to highlight the seizure, which happened September 4 during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Cozad.
State Patrol Colonel Bryan Waugh says troopers smelled marijuana during a commercial vehicle inspection and searched the semi’s trailer, finding 27 pallets containing marijuana, THC products and psilocybin.
Investigators estimate the drugs have a street value of more than $50-million. Pillen called it “historic work,” saying the drugs could have ended up on Nebraska streets. Waugh says the case demonstrates the importance of troopers looking beyond routine traffic violations.
“Troopers are trained heavily in commercial criminal interdiction,” Waugh says, adding they are taught to recognize indicators of potential criminal activity. A second case, also in Dawson County, involved stolen commercial speaker equipment worth at least $250-thousand. An arrest warrant has been issued for the driver, who remains wanted.
Waugh says troopers are also seeing more creative methods of transporting narcotics and are adapting their training and investigative tactics. He says larger drug seizures are being made, but the impact cannot always be measured.
“We know this is saving lives,” Waugh says.
