An Illinois man was arrested in Mesa County in western Colorado on Tuesday after he was found with 84 pounds of marijuana when a deputy pulled him over on Interstate 70, the county sheriff’s office said.
Peter Vercillo, 37, was booked into the county jail on suspicion of one count of intent to distribute marijuana, the office said.
Vercillo was pulled over after authorities say he made a left lane violation near the town of Loma, roughly 10 miles from the Utah border. Vercillo was heading eastbound on the interstate, according to the sheriff’s office.
“One of our agency’s drug sniffing K-9 dogs was used and indicated a positive response to the presence of drugs in the vehicle occupied only by (Vercillo),” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies found about 84 pounds of pre-packaged marijuana in the back of Vercillo’s van, the office said.
The sheriff’s office says Vercillo had more than 1,000 times the legal amount of marijuana possessable under Colorado law.
Officials released a photo of the marijuana they say was seized from Vercillo, showing it packaged in large clear bags and stacked on a table.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
