A high-speed Ram 3500 van barreling along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Cumberland County turned a routine traffic stop into a multimillion-dollar drug bust last Thursday, according to state police. Troopers say the van, pulled over in Lower Mifflin Township, was loaded with more than 700 pounds of marijuana and roughly 200 THC vape cartridges, an illegal cannabis stash they estimate is worth more than $3.3 million on the street. Two men were arrested and remain in Cumberland County custody pending court action.
Speeding stop led to the discovery
Troopers stopped the van on Interstate 76 West around 9 p.m. after clocking it at 99 mph in a 70 mph zone, according to CBS Pittsburgh. Police also said the driver was not licensed to operate that vehicle.
What troopers say they found
The on-scene search turned up more than 700 pounds of marijuana and about 200 THC vape cartridges, WHP580 reported. Authorities put the street value of the haul at over $3.3 million and seized the suspected contraband as evidence.
Two New Jersey men charged
Pennsylvania State Police identified the driver as 19-year-old Yackov Bitan of Lakewood and the passenger as 34-year-old Yosef Marchette of Toms River, New Jersey, according to CBS Pittsburgh. Both men were charged with possession with intent to deliver and arraigned with bail set at $500,000 apiece, WHP580 reported. They are being held in the Cumberland County jail ahead of a preliminary hearing.
Turnpike enforcement and recent seizures
The stop is the latest in a string of sizable drug interdictions along the Pennsylvania Turnpike this year. In January, troopers seized roughly 40,000 suspected fentanyl baggies in Westmoreland County during another traffic stop, WPXI reported at the time.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has also highlighted coordinated patrols with state police that focus on aggressive driving and other safety threats along the highway, as detailed in a recent Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission press release.
Legal note
Both men face felony counts of possession with intent to deliver and were arraigned with $500,000 bail, according to reporting by WHP580. Prosecutors are expected to review the evidence and schedule additional court dates as the investigation continues.
The case will move through Cumberland County courts in the coming weeks, and state troopers say the investigation is ongoing. Preliminary-hearing dates were not immediately available.
