Patrol: Man drove 800 pounds of pot through Greene County
Authorities say a man pulled over on Interstate 44 in Greene County was found to be transporting 800 pounds of marijuana from California to New York.
Ashot Grigoryan, 56, was charged Wednesday with drug trafficking — a Class A felony — after local authorities say they found the marijuana in the back of his 32-foot refrigerated truck earlier this year while he was traveling through Springfield.
According to a probable cause statement, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped Grigoryan's truck for a compliance inspection on I-44 near the 744 interchange and became suspicious.
The paperwork associated with the vehicle indicated that Grigoryan was transporting 36 packages of stir fry sauce from Glendale, California, to Brooklyn, New York, according to the statement.
Grigoryan gave authorities consent to search the truck and they found 36 cardboard boxes and five large nylon bags that were full of heat-sealed bundles of marijuana, according to the statement. The marijuana and boxes weighed about 800 pounds, the statement says.
The trailer of the truck was secured with a padlock, and Grigoryan told authorities he was not given a key to it. A key to the padlock was later found on the key ring of the truck, according to the statement.
Grigoryan's bond was set at $10,000 but it was dropped to $2,500 when he turned himself in on Thursday.
Prosecuting attorney Kevin Young said Grigoryan does not have contacts in the Springfield area and he is not considered a flight risk.
Young said Grigoryan was arrested at the time of the drug seizure and was then released while authorities sent the drugs to be tested and built their case to submit to prosecutors. Young said authorities originally thought the case would be tried in federal court, but federal prosecutors deferred to the state office.
Grigoryan's local attorney, Dean Price, declined to comment on the specifics of the case.
Grigoryan was arraigned on Thursday and pleaded not guilty. He has another court apperance scheduled for Sept. 1, and online records indiciate he will need a Russian or Armenian interpreter for the hearing.