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Large black trash bags, supposedly full of air were what greeted McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Salazar when he stopped a Toyota Sienna with a California license plate after the driver failed to maneuver to the left lane when passing a construction worker on the right shoulder of the highway at exit 33 on Interstate 40 eastbound Oct. 19.

When Salazar questioned the driver of the blue car, the answers he got didn’t make sense to him and seemed inconsistent. So, after the man later identified as Christopher Tucker, 38, of Amarillo, Tex., informed him the black trash bags were full of air, Salazar asked again. This time he phrased it differently. He asked Tucker how much marijuana he had in the trash bags.

Tucker said he had 30-40 pounds of marijuana. But he wouldn’t let Salazar search the van. Tucker was detained while Salazar obtained a search warrant through Magistrate Court.

When he executed the warrant, he found four large black trash bags full of marijuana in the cargo area of the Sienna. He also found marijuana in a suitcase.

Tucker was placed under arrest and transported to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.

The marijuana was taken to the sheriff’s office, where it was weighed. The total weight came to 90 pounds.

Tucker was released on his own recognizance by Judge Cynthia Sanders.

By Beth Blakeman
Managing Editor