A Cook County man was detained in Indiana Sunday after police discovered more than 160 pounds of marijuana in a cargo truck he was driving on Interstate 94.
Erik J. Boehm, 22, of Melrose Park, has been charged with trafficking controlled substances, marijuana, and resisting arrest.
According to the Chesterton Police Department (CPD), Sgt. Eric Lisoski and Officer Darren Conley were conducting an interdiction patrol on Interstate 94 just before 3 p.m. Sunday when Conley observed a westbound Ford Transit van commit a traffic violation near mile mark 29.
Conley then conducted a traffic stop around mile marker 26 at the Chesterton exit, making contact with the motorist.
When Conley asked for the driver’s license “through a small opening in the passenger’s side window,” he noticed a strong marijuana odor coming from inside the van.
Conley then asked the driver, known as Boehm, to vacate the van, but Boehm pretended not to hear him.
Conley inquired again, and Boehm allegedly refused multiple times.
According to CPD, Conley was then “forced to move to the driver’s side door of the van,” putting him in a difficult position with passing traffic on the highway.
“At one point (the driver) attempted to close the driver’s side window on Officer Conley’s wrist,” according to the police department.
Sgt. Lisoski arrived on scene to assist, and the two officers were able to persuade the driver to evacuate the vehicle without incident.
The officers then searched the van, which was filled with bags of marijuana and cartons of various THC items. Boehm was also carrying a handgun at the time.
At the moment, he was arrested and sent to the Porter County Jail.
“Due to the vast amount of marijuana and THC-related products located in the cargo area, the vehicle was transported to the Chesterton Police Department,” according to the Chesterton Police Department.
At the police station, Conley and Lisoski discovered around 167 pounds of marijuana, 4600 THC cartridges, 198 pre-rolled marijuana blunts, and 400 THC pens.
“I want to commend the recently implemented drug interdiction team of Officer Conley and Sgt. Lisoski,” Police Chief Tim Richardson said. “These cops, like many others around Indiana, traverse and work on our heavily trafficked interstates. It is no secret that conducting investigations along the sides of our interstates, where commercial and passenger vehicles frequently travel at speeds of 70 to 80 mph, can be perilous for these officers. These officers are frequently unsung heroes in the drug fight that plagues our country.
Dealing with a restricted substance is punishable by a term of 10 to 30 years, whereas dealing marijuana is punishable by one to six years.