Cairo police seize 398 pounds of marijuana

CAIRO, Ill. - A traffic stop on Interstate 57 turned into the seizure of 398 pounds of marijuana Thursday morning.

According to a news release from the Cairo Police Department, Sgt. Bernard Brown stopped a truck for speeding at the 4 mile marker around 7:37 am. The driver of the vehicle exited and ran on foot through a wooded area adjacent to the interstate.

Once Brown searched the vehicle he found the marijuana.

The Alexander County Sheriff's Department, Pulaski County Sheriff's Department and Illinois state police assisted Cairo police in the pursuit of the suspect.

Around 1 p.m. police received information that the suspect may have been at a local truck stop trying to get a ride. Brown and fellow Cairo police officer Chris Brown located the vehicle with the suspect inside.

The suspect was taken into custody without incident and was processed at the Cairo Police Department. The suspect's name is being held pending further investigation by the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force and Cairo police.