Deputies find 1,000 pounds of marijuana in tractor-trailer

ST. LOUIS -- A Texas man was charged in federal court Monday after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 44 led sheriff's deputies in southwest Missouri to 1,000 pounds of marijuana in the back of a tractor-trailer.

Pascual del Angel, 51, of Bridgeport, Texas, was charged with possession with the intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, said spokeswoman Jan Diltz of the U.S. attorney's office in St. Louis.

The vehicle was stopped about 7:45 a.m. Sunday on I-44, eight miles west of Rolla. Phelps County sheriff's deputies said they became suspicious after talking to del Angel.

He was accompanied by a 26-year-old man from Decatur, Texas, who also was turned over to federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

The deputies brought in a drug-sniffing dog, who located 19 bags stuffed with marijuana in the trailer, authorities said. The trailer was empty, except for the drugs.

Authorities estimated the marijuana had a street value of $3.2 million. They believed it was bound for Chicago.