PHOENIX -- Department of Public Safety officers seized over 1,300 pounds of marijuana in two separate traffic stops in southern Arizona Wednesday, according to authorities.
Officials said an officer stopped a 1996 Toyota Camry on Interstate 10 near Benson around 8:50 a.m. for following two closely.
Michael Florez, 25, of Phoenix, was reportedly driving on a suspended license, according to DPS.
While going through the vehicle, the officer discovered 97 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of the car. Florez was booked into the Sierra Vista Jail for possession/transportation of marijuana for sale.
The second traffic stop occurred about 4:30 p.m. when a DPS officer stopped a flat bed truck for unsafe lane use on State Route 90 near Benson.
Officials said the two occupants jumped from the vehicle while talking to the officer and fled across the highway into a desert area.
The officer found 1,222 pounds of marijuana in the "tunnel" under the flatbed portion of the truck. Officials said the two occupants were not located.
