A Pittsburgh firefighter was arrested Thursday by state police, charged with transporting 184 pounds of marijuana.
Fletcher Jones, 32, was stopped by an officer with the Arizona Department of Public Safety just after midnight on Interstate 40 approximately seven miles east of Flagstaff for an improper lane change, according to information released by an official at the DPS Flagstaff office.
DPS Det. Jay Atwater said that the officer approached the rented 2003 Buick LeSabre being driven by Jones and began to ask Jones questions. The answers to those questions led the officer to ask Jones if he could search the vehicle, Atwater said.
During the search, the officer discovered 184 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of the car. The marijuana was inside duffel bags.
After his arrest, Atwater said Jones told officers that he was traveling from Tucson to Pittsburgh.
"In the vehicle, the officer noticed a complete set of fireman's turnout gear," Atwater said. "It seems Mr. Jones is a Pittsburgh fireman."
A deputy fire chief for the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau confirmed a Fletcher Jones, same age, became a firefighter in 1993, according to reports received by a reporter with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The deputy fire chief acknowledged awareness of the Flagstaff arrest.
Jones told officers he picked up the marijuana from a third party, who had secured the marijuana from a Mexican organization in Tucson, Atwater said.
"He was a mule," Atwater said.
Jones was booked into the Coconino County Jail on possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana for sale.
According to information from the Metro anti-drug task force in Flagstaff, marijuana sells for approximately $650 to $700 a pound in northern Arizona. DPS information has marijuana going for $400 to $500 a pound in source cities such as Tucson or Phoenix.
But as the marijuana moves farther east, its price increases -- up to $1,400 to $1,500 a pound on the East Coast -- according to DPS information. The reason for the increase centers on transportation costs and increased exposure to risk of getting caught.
So far this week, five people have been arrested and 871 pounds of marijuana worth approximately $1.22 million on the East Coast has been seized in three separate drug busts by DPS officers in Flagstaff.
DPS officials attribute the increase in marijuana seizures this week to the harvest season for marijuana. October is the height of the season, which begins in September and runs through March.
This story was reprinted with permission of the Arizona Daily Sun
