COUNCIL BLUFFS — Two men were in custody after a drug bust on Interstate 80 on Monday.
Ryan Vardeman, 20, of Pittsburgh and Charles Thompson, 25, of Huntington Park, Calif., were being held after Pottawattamie County Sheriff's deputies found 13 pounds of marijuana and a large quantity of marijuana baked goods in the pair's vehicle.
Vardeman was eastbound on Interstate 80 near the seven-mile marker in a white 2012 Ford Mustang when deputies pulled the vehicle over for speeding, Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dwayne Riche said.
Deputies asked to search the car after speaking with Vardeman and Thompson but were denied consent. A drug dog conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle and indicated the presence of narcotics, Riche said.
Deputies located the marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags in the trunk. Sgt. Bob Christensen with the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force said the high-grade marijuana has a street value of about $54,000.
Vardeman and Thompson were in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $5,000 bond.
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