An area man is behind bars after being arrested for having more than 500 grams of cannabis. 31-year old Jorge Oquendo, of Beardstown, was arrested by Virginia Police on Monday night around 8:30.
Oquendo was charged with possession of 500 grams of cannabis, driving with a suspended or revoked license and illegal possession of transporting liquor.
Virginia Police Chief Wesley Helmich spoke with WLDS/WEAI yesterday and takes us through how the arrest occurred.
“Yesterday (Monday) around 6:30 p.m. I stopped Jorge on route 125 for a registration violation. His driver’s license was invalid at the time during the stop. He was detained for that reason. After inventory the vehicle, before it was towed, a strong odor of cannabis was coming out of the vehicle in two locations. I found a large quantity of cannabis in the passenger’s compartment and trunk. Jorge also had an open container from the gas station filled with, some kind of alcoholic beverage. The total amount of cannabis was approximately 1600 grams.” said Helmich.
Chief Helmich says the amount of cannabis was the largest he’s personally ever recovered from an arrest.
“From my observations and how it was packaged in the vehicle, I don’t think he was planning on breaking it down and redistribute it. I think he was transporting it for someone else. It is still under investigation and we are following up with it as much as we can. We had very little information. He gave us very little information.” said Helmich.
The charge of more than 500 grams of cannabis is a class 3 felony. Oquendo is currently being held at the Morgan County jail.