Over $10 million in drugs seized in Lancaster County traffic stops this year

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Deputies seized $1 million worth of marijuana in a traffic stop Wednesday in Lincoln.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said the criminal interdiction task force pulled over a box truck near Highway 77 and Rosa Parks Way.

It was just the latest drug-yielding traffic stop this year.

So far, the sheriff’s office has seized 3,000 pounds of high-grade marijuana, 95 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of meth, among other drugs.

In total, the value is $10 million to $12 million.

Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said deputies are trained to identify these types of criminals. 

“They’ve been doing this for about 13 years,” he said. “There are cues on certain vehicles. They don’t look at the driver; they’re looking at the vehicle.”

Deputies look for things that are out of the ordinary.

For example, the box truck pulled over on Wednesday had California license plates. Houchin said most box trucks are local.

So deputies followed the truck and noticed that it swerved out of the lane, giving them reason to stop it.

“Things start to stand out when somebody’s doing a criminal act,” Houchin said.

He said traffic stops can also prevent violence, as deputies not only find drugs, but also illegal firearms. 

So far this year, the sheriff’s office has taken seven firearms deputies think were going to be sold.  In 2022, they took 12 illegal firearms off the streets.

“Any time somebody is traveling with weapons that are illegal, nothing good is going to come from that,” Houchin said.

He said drug trafficking is so profitable that despite all the traffic stops, dealers will keep using major roads like Interstate 80 to transport it.