Officers from the Arkansas Highway Police (AHP) Division of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) uncovered a significant shipment of illegal drugs in a commercial motor vehicle traveling along Interstate 30 this week, according to AHP Chief Ron Burks.

     While conducting a safety inspection of the vehicle on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 9, 2008, on Interstate 30 near Benton , officers discovered 57 bundles of marijuana.  The drugs were found in the trailer.  The approximate total weight of the bundles was 1,300 pounds, with an estimated value of $1.3 million.

     The driver was identified as Larry Kelley, Jr. of San Diego , California .  It is believed the truck was traveling from Tucson , Arizona , to Memphis , Tennessee , carrying no additional cargo.  Kelley was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and is being held on $50,000 bond at the Saline County Detention Center .  He was to be arraigned today in Saline County District Court.