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Nearly 8,000 pounds of marijuana has been seized by authorities in Cochise County in just the past three months.

The latest seizure by Department of Public Safety Officers happened on November 30th when an officer was making a routine traffic stop for illegal window tint and unsafe lane usage.

When the officer approached the Dodge pickup on Interstate 10 about two miles west of Benson, he noticed bundles of marijuana behind the front seat of the truck. The truck had 217 pounds of marijuana. The occupants of the truck, 27-year old Ariel Duenas-Dorame, of Mexico and 51-year old Manuel Cabrera-Brena also of Mexico, were arrested and booked into the Sierra Vista jail for possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.

Another recent seizure occurred on November 28 when a DPS officer in Willcox was notified by the U.S. Border Patrol of a suspicious vehicle parked at an area restaurant. The driver took off on foot when he spotted the Border Patrol and the passenger ran inside the restaurant. Officers saw a bundle of marijuana in the back seat of the vehicle. They then went inside the restaurant and arrested the passenger, 18-year old Ruben Romero of Tucson for possession and transportation of marijuana for sale. A complete search of the vehicle revealed 132 pounds of marijuana.