Lee County deputies say a routine traffic stop on U.S. Highway 19 South turned into a major bust on May 27, when they reported finding about 102 pounds of suspected marijuana hidden in a vehicle. The packages were described as vacuum sealed and stacked inside cardboard boxes, and deputies also collected cash and a cellphone as evidence. Authorities identified the driver as 35-year-old Sobiya Samreen Ali of Atlanta, who was booked on trafficking and DUI charges.
What deputies say they found
According to WSB-TV, deputies reported that the load consisted of 102 individually vacuum sealed bags, each weighing roughly one pound, tucked into cardboard boxes inside the vehicle. The outlet noted that deputies also seized cash, a cellphone and the vehicle itself, and that samples of the suspected marijuana were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for confirmation. "The seizure demonstrates how proactive enforcement efforts on our roadways can uncover significant criminal activity," Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals told the station.
Charges and bond
WSB-TV reported that Ali was taken into custody on May 27 and charged with trafficking marijuana and driving under the influence of alcohol. Jail records show she was released on May 29 after posting a $202,500 bond. The sheriff's office told the station that the investigation is still active as deputies work to learn where the drugs were headed and whether anyone else was involved. Ali's case will move through the Lee County court system as lab results and legal filings come in.
How this fits into a wider pattern
Authorities across Georgia have been reporting large marijuana seizures this spring. In April, officers shut down a planned "marijuana pop-up" in southwest Atlanta and confiscated more than 1,200 pounds of product, according to CBS Atlanta. Around the same time, a routine eviction in South Fulton uncovered roughly 334 pounds of marijuana, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. In May, a Richmond County operation at an airport turned up about 120 pounds, underscoring, investigators say, that traffickers are moving bulk shipments in multiple ways, per WRDW.
Legal exposure
Under Georgia law, having more than 10 pounds of marijuana qualifies as trafficking, a felony that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years and fines starting at $100,000, with harsher penalties for larger quantities. That means the roughly 102 pounds deputies reported in this case would fall within the trafficking range if prosecutors move forward and a conviction is obtained, according to the Georgia code.
What happens next
Investigators say standard lab testing and case processing will shape whether prosecutors seek formal indictments and which charges proceed. Any upcoming hearings will appear on court dockets, and anyone arrested in Lee County is processed through the county's criminal justice center while cases are handed off to prosecutors.
