Crime

Ohio troopers seize 28 lbs. of pot, beautifully gift-wrapped

By Barry Leibowitz

November 18, 2011 / 9:50 AM EST / CBS News

Ohio state troopers say they seized this gift-wrapped box containing 28 lbs. of marijuana from the car of a Wash. State man AP Photo/Ohio Highway Patrol

(CBS/AP) SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The season for giving is almost upon us.

Maybe that's what a Washington State man had in mind when, according to police in Ohio, he was found transporting a brightly gift-wrapped package, which, when opened, contained 25 individually wrapped packets of marijuana.

Ohio troopers making a traffic stop say they found the stash in the trunk of a car driven by 35-year-old Robert Gomez of Bremerton, Wash., who was being held Thursday in the Clark County jail.

The State Highway Patrol says the 28 pounds of pot is valued at more than $63,000.

Gomez is charged with trafficking and possession of marijuana and possession of criminal tools, both felonies, and a misdemeanor count of driving under suspension.

According to the Springfield News-Sun, the package was a "present for his nephew who was living in Columbus and he was delivering the present to him," said Ohio State Police Sgt. Steve Dusteil.