An Iowa State Patrol trooper arrested a California man Wednesday morning when he was allegedly found carrying 250 pounds of marijuana in the bed of his pickup truck.
Richard Glen Nichols, 67, of Laytonville, Calif., was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and failure to affix drug stamp after the trooper stopped Nichols in a 2018 Ram 2500 traveling eastbound on U.S. Interstate 80 near the 101 mile marker about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.
According to court records, the trooper made contact with Nichols and soon developed a “reasonable articulable suspicion” of illegal activity, causing the trooper to summon of drug-sniffing dog from the Dallas County Sheriff’s office.
A “positive indication” by the K9 led to a closer inspection of the vehicle, where the trooper allegedly uncovered “249 one-pound packages of raw marijuana in the bed of the truck, 100 THC vape cartridges on the back seat in a box, and two pounds of THC honey oil in glass jars in a box on the back seat floor.”
Also seized in the search were two cell phones and a little more than $1,000 in cash.
Nichols was transported to the Dallas County Jail, where he is held on a $10,000 cash or surety bond. He made an initial appearance Thursday morning in Dallas County District Court and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 27.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
