A California man faces drug trafficking charges after St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies say they found 51 pounds of marijuana in his pickup.
According to the sheriff's office, Jorge Valeriano, of Ceres, California, claimed he was driving from Gatesville, Texas to Birmingham to find a job as an iron worker. But a consensual search of the vehicle yielded 46 vacuum sealed bags of marijuana in a pair of suitcases.
"Too often criminals attempt to use our local highways and interstates as passageways to transport illegal drugs," Sheriff Randy Smith said. "We will not tolerate individuals bringing drugs into our community."
In addition to charges of intent to distribute the illegal drug, Valeriano was booked with driving in the left lane and following too close.
