(La Porte County, IN) - An out of state man is accused of passing through northern La Porte County with 60 pounds of marijuana and more than 900 THC vape cartridges.

 

Jamal Verdun, 35, is charged in LaPorte Circuit Court with Level 5 felony dealing in marijuana.

 

According to court documents, the man was stopped on November 13 for traveling at a high rate of speed through a construction zone and tailgating a semi-truck on the Indiana Toll Road near Rolling Prairie.

 

A LaPorte County Police officer becoming increasingly suspicious about possible criminal activity called for a drug sniffing dog, which detected the presence of narcotics in the suspect’s BMW, according to court documents.

 

During a search of the vehicle, police said vacuum sealed packages of marijuana were found inside three cardboard boxes in the backseat of the vehicle along with THC vape cartridges inside two suitcases and another cardboard box.

 

The investigation revealed Verdun recently moved from Oregon to Washington D.C. and was returning to the nation’s capital a day after making the drive to Chicago.

 

Police said a notebook containing information about suspected drug transactions was also recovered from the car.

 

Verdun, who was being held in the La Porte County Jail on $15,000 bond, could face an up to six year prison sentence.