LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) – A Greyhound bus passenger from Chicago is facing felony drug charges.
Deputies say they found a large amount of cocaine and marijuana in his backpack during a traffic stop Thursday morning on Interstate 80/90.
According to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office, a highway interdiction deputy was driving east on I-80/90 near the 58-mile marker on March 27.
He saw a Greyhound bus traveling faster than the posted speed limit while passing other commercial vehicles.
The deputy stopped the bus near the 61-mile marker and identified the driver.
During the stop, a sheriff’s office narcotics detection dog was led around the outside of the bus and alerted to the presence of drugs, deputies said.
Deputies first searched the cargo area and then went onto the bus to speak with passengers.
Investigators found a backpack in an overhead storage compartment near the front of the bus, authorities said.
Deputies said the backpack belonged to 47-year-old Artha Jackson of Chicago.
A search of the bag turned up what deputies described as many illegal drugs. Jackson was taken into custody and transported to the La Porte County Jail.
He was arrested on the following preliminary charges:
- Dealing in cocaine, Level 2 felony
- Dealing in marijuana, Level 6 felony
Authorities said Jackson remained in the La Porte County Jail as of the latest update. He is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond through La Porte County Circuit Court.
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