Traffic Stop Yields 500 Pounds of Illegal Marijuana

Arkansas State Police seized more than 500 pounds of illegal marijuana during a routine traffic stop last week.

In a statement, authorities said:

VAN BUREN, Ark. — Around 8 a.m. on March 2, 2026, an Arkansas State Police (ASP) Trooper stopped a box truck traveling eastbound on Interstate 40 near the 3-mile marker in Crawford County for a traffic violation. During the course of the traffic stop, Troopers searched the cargo area of the truck and discovered 507 pounds of illegal marijuana concealed inside three wooden crates.

The driver, Armen Grigoryan, 47, of Valley, California, was taken into custody and transported to the Crawford County Detention Center. He was booked on felony charges of Trafficking a Controlled Substance.

The truck was traveling from California to Memphis at the time of the stop.

Contrary to popular belief, legalization in California and elsewhere has actually emboldened drug cartels and spread illegal marijuana on the black market.

California has seized more than $1.2 billion in illegal cannabis since 2022.

In Maine, authorities have said there are hundreds of black market growing operations connected to Chinese organized crime groups.

Oklahoma’s lax marijuana laws have created similar issues, with law enforcement alleging that 40% of America’s illicit marijuana has come from legal grow sites in Oklahoma.

Last week’s traffic stop is another example of how Arkansas State Police routinely confiscate marijuana from these states.

Despite promises of regulation, oversight, and tax revenue, states that have legalized marijuana still battle organized crime, black market operations, and public safety threats.

Arkansans should remember all of this when it comes to any proposals to expand marijuana. Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.