bcjack
03-12-2007, 04:55 PM
California Police Puzzled by Pot Find
Updated: March 12th, 2007 12:51 PM PDT
By WES WOODS II
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
ONTARIO - A lot of marijuana, and a lot of unanswered questions.
Police on Friday said they had made no arrests and had no suspects following the discovery of an abandoned rental truck filled with about 3 tons of the drug.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions," said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Telfinues Preszler Jr.
The truck was found abandoned - with no flat tires or an open hood signifying engine trouble - on the onramp of the westbound 10 Freeway at Milliken Avenue.
Police found the truck at about 9 p.m. Wednesday.
"The vehicle had not been there very long because the engine was warm to the touch," Preszler said. "We canvassed the area, but did not locate anybody. We still don't have any leads as to that part of it."
CHP officials are searching for who rented the truck, which was not reported stolen, and for the rental company, Preszler said.
Police said the marijuana has a street value of $20 million.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said she did not know the type of marijuana seized.
Narcotics investigators described the marijuana as not being local, where indoor lighting can be used to grow the weed and the quantities are typically smaller.
"When they see large quantities, especially this large, it typically comes from Mexico or south of the border," Beavers said.
Preszler believed the marijuana find was not the largest ever for CHP.
"I know our units have run across larger amounts, but whether that's through further investigation (that) later recovered more, I don't know," he said.
Preszler, who has worked for CHP more than 19 years, said he did not understand why the truck's driver abandoned the vehicle, though he speculated the truck could have shut down because of vapor lock, which is pressure on the engine caused by overheating.
He said it also was possible the driver left the vehicle for a few minutes, saw officers when he returned and decided to leave.
The marijuana was found after a CHP officer from Rancho Cucamonga pulled in behind the truck, which was stopped and partially blocking the onramp.
The officer walked up to the truck cab to offer assistance, saw the truck had no driver and called a tow truck because the vehicle posed a nighttime hazard to other drivers.
"When he called the tow truck, he got an odor of marijuana and thought, `This is weird,"' Preszler said.
The doors of the truck were unlocked, and the officer found garbage bags full of marijuana in the back, Preszler said. He then notified his supervisor.
A K-9 unit was called in to inspect the truck for other substances - everything from methamphetamine to hidden compartments. Nothing else was found.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department took possession of the marijuana Wednesday night. Beavers said it took "several hours" for department officials to remove the marijuana from the truck.
Beavers said narcotics investigators described the amount as atypical.
"They've stored either for the Sheriff's Department or another agency a ton, or a little more than that ... but several tons, or 6,000 pounds ... (is) unusual," Beavers added.
The marijuana is stored in an off-site facility and "taking up a lot of space," Beavers said.
With no one in custody or an "immediate arrest in sight," the amount will stay in the sheriff's custody for now.
At some point - after samples, photographs and weights have been documented - the sheriff's department will request a court order to destroy the drugs, Beavers said.
Staff writer Wes Woods II can be reached by e-mail at, or by phone at (909) 483-9378.
Updated: March 12th, 2007 12:51 PM PDT
By WES WOODS II
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
ONTARIO - A lot of marijuana, and a lot of unanswered questions.
Police on Friday said they had made no arrests and had no suspects following the discovery of an abandoned rental truck filled with about 3 tons of the drug.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions," said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Telfinues Preszler Jr.
The truck was found abandoned - with no flat tires or an open hood signifying engine trouble - on the onramp of the westbound 10 Freeway at Milliken Avenue.
Police found the truck at about 9 p.m. Wednesday.
"The vehicle had not been there very long because the engine was warm to the touch," Preszler said. "We canvassed the area, but did not locate anybody. We still don't have any leads as to that part of it."
CHP officials are searching for who rented the truck, which was not reported stolen, and for the rental company, Preszler said.
Police said the marijuana has a street value of $20 million.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said she did not know the type of marijuana seized.
Narcotics investigators described the marijuana as not being local, where indoor lighting can be used to grow the weed and the quantities are typically smaller.
"When they see large quantities, especially this large, it typically comes from Mexico or south of the border," Beavers said.
Preszler believed the marijuana find was not the largest ever for CHP.
"I know our units have run across larger amounts, but whether that's through further investigation (that) later recovered more, I don't know," he said.
Preszler, who has worked for CHP more than 19 years, said he did not understand why the truck's driver abandoned the vehicle, though he speculated the truck could have shut down because of vapor lock, which is pressure on the engine caused by overheating.
He said it also was possible the driver left the vehicle for a few minutes, saw officers when he returned and decided to leave.
The marijuana was found after a CHP officer from Rancho Cucamonga pulled in behind the truck, which was stopped and partially blocking the onramp.
The officer walked up to the truck cab to offer assistance, saw the truck had no driver and called a tow truck because the vehicle posed a nighttime hazard to other drivers.
"When he called the tow truck, he got an odor of marijuana and thought, `This is weird,"' Preszler said.
The doors of the truck were unlocked, and the officer found garbage bags full of marijuana in the back, Preszler said. He then notified his supervisor.
A K-9 unit was called in to inspect the truck for other substances - everything from methamphetamine to hidden compartments. Nothing else was found.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department took possession of the marijuana Wednesday night. Beavers said it took "several hours" for department officials to remove the marijuana from the truck.
Beavers said narcotics investigators described the amount as atypical.
"They've stored either for the Sheriff's Department or another agency a ton, or a little more than that ... but several tons, or 6,000 pounds ... (is) unusual," Beavers added.
The marijuana is stored in an off-site facility and "taking up a lot of space," Beavers said.
With no one in custody or an "immediate arrest in sight," the amount will stay in the sheriff's custody for now.
At some point - after samples, photographs and weights have been documented - the sheriff's department will request a court order to destroy the drugs, Beavers said.
Staff writer Wes Woods II can be reached by e-mail at, or by phone at (909) 483-9378.