25 lbs. of pot seized

POLSON — Local law enforcement officials seized 25 pounds of marijuana in early February after receiving a tip from a confidential informant, and the suspects in the case pled not guilty last week to felony charges of possession with intent to distribute.

Louis Alfonso Lopez, 42, and David Raul Durbin Salas, 44, both of Tuscon, Ariz., remain behind bars after being arraigned in Lake County District Court last Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Based on information from the informant and an ongoing investigation, investigators were fairly certain that a vehicle and passengers they had under surveillance in Polson were transporting a large amount of marijuana the night of Feb. 4, according to an undercover officer with the Northwest Drug Task Force.

Enlisting the help of Polson police officers, the undercover officer staked out a house in Polson in which the informant lived, after he tipped off law enforcement officials that a shipment of marijuana would be arriving that evening, according to court documents.

The informant told law enforcement officials that the men who delivered the pot typically drove a rental vehicle, according to court documents filed in the case.

At approximately 10 p.m., officers noticed a vehicle leaving the informant's house, and its license plate indicated it was a rental. A Lake County Sheriff's deputy initiated a traffic stop, and the driver and passenger gave conflicting stories as to why they were in town and where they were going, according to court documents.

"Their stories just didn't add up," said the undercover officer, who asked to remain anonymous due to his involvement in ongoing undercover narcotics investigations.

The two men in the vehicle signed a consent-to-search form, and the county's drug-sniffing dog, Riot, was brought onto the scene. The dog alerted on the rear of the vehicle, the officer said.

Using a density tester, officers on the scene determined that the vehicle's spare tire was filled with more than just air. After opening the tire up, officers discovered approximately 25 pounds of marijuana tightly wrapped in 1.5 to 2.5 pound packages, the officer said. It has an estimated street value of $150,000.

Lopez and Salas were arrested at the scene. They are both being held on $50,000 bond. Salas is scheduled to have an omnibus hearing on March 16, while Lopez will appear in district court on March 17.