OSHP troopers seize 235 pounds of suspected marijuana in Lorain County

ELYRIA, Ohio — A man and a woman are facing felony drug charges after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized 235 pounds of suspected marijuana, worth approximately $1.2 million after a traffic stop in Lorain County.

Troopers stopped a 2007 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck, with Nevada registration, for marked lanes and failure to signal violations on Interstate 80 at 3:53 p.m. on Jan. 21. Criminal indicators were observed and a patrol drug-sniffing canine alerted to the vehicle. A probable-cause search revealed the contraband.

The driver, Kimberly M. Benson, 42, and passenger, Daniel M. Essad, 62, both from Reno, Nev., were taken to the Lorain County Jail and charged with possession and trafficking in marijuana, both second-degree felonies.