By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ala— A routine commercial vehicle inspection by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) led to a major drug seizure and the arrest of an Oregon man, officials said.
According to a press release, the incident occurred on Tuesday, March 31, when a trooper assigned to ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit conducted a commercial motor vehicle inspection on a tractor traveling along Interstate 20 near the 143-mile marker in St. Clair County, close to the Jefferson County line.
During the inspection, authorities said the driver initially provided an invalid driver’s license. He was later identified as Dajun Sun, 57, of Oregon City, Oregon. It was also determined that Sun is an undocumented immigrant without legal authorization to be in the country.
“During the course of the inspection, the driver of the tractor provided an invalid driver’s license,” the release stated.
Further investigation led troopers to discover multiple boxes inside the vehicle containing a large quantity of illegal drugs. “Further investigation of the tractor revealed 23 boxes that contained approximately 185 pounds of marijuana,” according to ALEA.
Sun was taken into custody and charged with drug trafficking as well as operating a commercial motor vehicle without a commercial driver’s license. He was transported to the St. Clair County Jail, where he is being held on a $1.5 million bond.
The Dale County Chronicle reached out to ALEA for more information, including whether they knew the intended destination for the marijuana, but they referred us back to the original press release, declining to comment further.
Officials said no additional details are being released at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.
