ASP confiscates over 200 pounds of illegal marijuana and $10,000 during I-40 stops

Arkansas State Police's (ASP) Interstate Criminal Patrol (ICP) arrested two women in separate traffic stops for trafficking illegal narcotics on Interstate 40.
On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, around 6:45 p.m., ICP stopped a white Chrysler Pacifica near the 99-mile marker in Pope County for a traffic violation. Upon searching the vehicle, Troopers discovered five trash bags containing 120 individually wrapped bundles of illegal marijuana, with each bundle weighing approximately 1 pound. Additionally, Troopers found $9,350 in cash inside the suspect's vehicle.
ASP arrested the driver, Kristi Dortch, 50, of Eureka Springs, California, and transported her to the Pope County Detention Center, where she was charged with Felony Possession with the Purpose to Deliver of a Controlled Substance, Felony Possession of a Drug Paraphernalia, and multiple traffic violations. Dortch told investigators she was traveling from Eureka Springs, California, to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

On Monday, May 13, 2024, at approximately 2:30 p.m., ICP stopped a rented black Chevrolet Malibu for a traffic violation at the 172-mile mark in Lonoke County. During a search, ICP discovered 115 pounds of illegal marijuana in the car's trunk, along with $1,005.
Troopers transported the driver, Shayla Cooper, 41, of Oklahoma City, to the Lonoke County Detention Center, where she was booked and charged with felony counts of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Cooper was traveling from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, Georgia.