2 arrested after trooper finds 125 pounds of marijuana in suitcases near Jacksonville airport

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol arrested two individuals on Wednesday after discovering 125 pounds of marijuana hidden inside their suitcases.

The incident happened at near the Jacksonville International Airport on Dixie Clipper Drive.

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While monitoring traffic, an FHP trooper noticed a grey Dodge Durango with tinted windows that were darker than legal. The trooper responded by conducting a traffic stop and the vehicle pulled over.

Upon making contact with the occupants, the trooper immediately smelled marijuana within the vehicle.

After disclosing the reason for the traffic stop — the tinted windows — the trooper asked the passengers if there was any cannabis inside the vehicle. All occupants said no.

The trooper then got his K9 named Ace to sniff the vehicle while the occupants stood outside. The K9 positively alerted the trooper to the presence of drugs and the trooper once again asked the occupants if they had any cannabis inside the vehicle.

The occupants again responded “no.”

The trooper proceeded to search the vehicle and located six suitcases with baggage claim tickets. Inside the suitcases were 108 vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana.

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The baggage claim tickets matched the names of two of the occupants as identified by their Florida Driver’s License: Artez Keion Wards and Michael Timothy Douglas Lewis. Both individuals were arrested.

The third and final occupant, Trey Ronard Mushatt, was the driver of the vehicle. He told the trooper he had no knowledge of the marijuana and just came to pick up Wards and Lewis.

Mushatt was given a citation for driving while having a suspended license and a warning for the window tint violation.

The marijuana was seized and placed into evidence at the FHP Jacksonville Headquarters, along with the baggage claim tickets.

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