November 28, 2006    Memphis, Tennessee
Three men from New York arrested with 1,233 pounds of marijuana

The West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force interdicted a large quantity of marijuana during a traffic stop this week on Interstate 40 which led to the arrest of three men from New York on felony drug charges.

Special Agents with the Interstate Interdiction Unit on Tuesday afternoon seized 1,233 pounds of marijuana bundled in green plastic-wrapped packages and stuffed into 12 large boxes from a van stopped for following too closely on eastbound I-40 near the Airline Road exit. A drug dog on the scene of the traffic stop gave a positive response for the presence of narcotics inside the van.

Agents arrested three men from Bronx, New York. The defendants, Carlton Depass, 52 years old, Jeffrey Lewis, 46 years old, and Robert George Bailey, 37 years old, are each charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell. The amount of marijuana seized makes this charge a class A felony, which carries a standard sentence of 15-25 years in prison. Depass and Lewis are each being held in the Shelby County Jail on $2 million bonds; Bailey is being held on $1 million bond.

Source: Shelby County District Attorney General