Utica men nabbed on weed charges on Thruway, police say

NEWBURGH, N.Y. (WUTR) — State Police are reporting two separate traffic stops along the Thruway that netted large quantities of marijuana, which state legislators and the governor are currently working to legalize. Both drivers are from Utica, and one had about 24 pounds of the devil's lettuce.

On Sunday, March 21 at 9:20 p.m., police performed a traffic stop on a vehicle on Interstate 90 in the town of Florida for a routine violation. The driver was 21-year-old Nikyro L. Smithrucker.

Police say they found 18 plastic bags and 10 small boxes containing over 16,000 milligrams of concentrated cannabis. Smithrucker was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of controlled substance, a class D felony.

The next day at around 3 p.m., police said they performed another routine traffic stop on Interstate 87 in Newburgh. They say that, during the stop, 20-year-old Roqun T. Caban was found with a whopping 24 pounds of marijuana.

Caban was charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a class C felony.