Traffic stop in Rankin County yields seizure of nearly 100 pounds of marijuana

A traffic stop in Rankin County on Tuesday led to the seizure of about 96 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of a Florida man on trafficking charges, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department said.

A deputy stopped a white Kia SUV for a traffic violation at about 10:30 a.m. on Highway 49 near Highway 469 in Florence, the department said. While speaking with the driver, deputies said they became suspicious of possible criminal activity and deployed a narcotics K-9, which alerted to the presence of drugs inside the vehicle.

Investigators conducted a probable-cause search and found about 96 pounds of marijuana concealed inside the SUV, officials said. The driver, identified as Christopher Luis Rivero of Florida, was arrested and charged with trafficking a controlled substance. Rivero was taken to the Rankin County Adult Detention Center and was being held on a $500,000 bond, the department said.

Rankin County, just east of Jackson, is served by the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, which frequently uses narcotics-detection dogs in drug interdictions. Large quantities of marijuana are commonly prosecuted as trafficking under state and federal law. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.