Pot trafficking center at Ohio business

FAIRFIELD, Ohio, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Drug Enforcement Agency officials say they broke up a large marijuana delivery in Cincinnati at what might be a multistate distribution center.

Agents interrupted the delivery of about 1,000 pounds of pot with a street value estimated at around $1.5 million at Azteca Stone and Marble, where records indicate shipments weighing 16,000 pounds have been delivered since June, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday. Cincinnati Resident Agent-in-Charge Russell Neville said it was not clear what was in the shipments "but a prudent person would suspect" it was drugs.

The 1,000-pound shipment of pot was uncovered last week when DEA agents in Houston were alerted by drug-sniffing dogs during a check of commercial shipments.

"They called us and said they had been sending these crates to Atlanta, Cincinnati, Toledo and several other cities in the Midwest," Neville said. "And, there are crates on their way to Cincinnati."

The DEA got a search warrant for one of three crates that arrived in the Cincinnati region last week and found marijuana in it. With the aids of drug canines they concluded all three contained marijuana.

Authorities arrested Kevin Howard Monday at Azteca Stone and Marble after he loaded the crates into a van and started to drive away, authorities said.

Other arrests are expected.