TOLEDO – Two Washington men will appear in the Maumee Municipal Court today after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized 161 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop yesterday on the Ohio Turnpike in Lucas County.

Luke S. Kauffman, 21, of Kirkland, WA, and Alexander J. Springer, 21, of Mill Creek, WA, are each charged with possession of marijuana, and trafficking in marijuana; both second-degree felonies.

A trooper stopped a 2006 Ford F-150 with a Washington registration for a marked lanes violation eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike near milepost 60 at noon yesterday. Criminal indicators were observed, and a Patrol drug-detecting canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable cause search revealed four duffle bags containing 161 pounds of marijuana in the covered bed of the pickup. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $365,000.

Kauffman and Springer were incarcerated at the Lucas County Jail. If convicted on both charges, each suspect could face up to 16 years in prison and up to a $30,000 fine.

Through August 2006, state troopers had seized 4.2 million grams of illegal narcotics, valued at $34.5 million. Drug seizures (by grams) are up 9 percent from the previous three-year average.

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