By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FLORENCE - Police who pulled over a compact car for speeding Monday night say they found it stuffed with 300 pounds of marijuana.

The 24 bundles of marijuana, each the size of a large bed pillow, wouldn't all fit in the trunk, police said. Some were packed in the rear seat with a blanket over the top.

"The officer detected an odor of marijuana while speaking with the driver," said Florence Police spokesman Lt. Tim Chesser. "When another officer approached from the opposite side of the car, he observed what appeared to be the bundled marijuana partially covered."

Police brought their drug-sniffing dog, King, who helped confirm the presence of drugs, they said.

"As far as we know, this is the largest amount of marijuana that has been taken during a traffic stop in Florence," Chesser said.

The street value of the marijuana is about $300,000, police said.

The driver, Nolberto Salinas, appeared in Boone County District Court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to trafficking in marijuana over five pounds. The charge is a Class-B felony punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison. The 54-year-old Saginaw, Mich., man was being held at the Boone County jail Tuesday afternoon in lieu of a $2,500 bond.

"He refused to give us any information," Chesser said. "We have no idea where he was headed."

Salinas was driving a 2002 red Ford Escort ZX2 south on Interstate 71/75 when he was pulled over at the U.S. 42 overpass going 78 mph in a 55 mph zone, police said. The traffic stop was made by Senior Police Officer Tom Grau and Officer John Mulligan.

Law enforcement officials say the drug bust in Florence was similar, but likely unrelated, to a large pot seizure last week in Ohio.

In that case, an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper stopped a Dodge Caravan on Interstate 74 in Hamilton County for following a car too closely and found 894 pounds of marijuana in plain view in the back. Police say the marijuana had a street value of $1.9 million dollars.

Jimmy S. Hill, 25, of Corryville is charged with felony possession of drugs. If convicted, he could get up to eight years in prison. He was released from the Hamilton County Justice Center after posting 10 percent of a $500,000 bond.

E-mail jhannah@enquirer.com