Eureka Woman Charged in Connection With Allegedly Transporting Approximately 120 Pounds of Cannabis Through Arkansas
This is an excerpt of a press release from the Arkansas State Police. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Kristi Dortch [Booking photo from the Pope County Detention Center]
On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, around 6:45 p.m., ICP stopped a white Chrysler Pacifica near the 99-mile marker in Pope County for a traffic violation. Upon searching the vehicle, Troopers discovered five trash bags containing 120 individually wrapped bundles of illegal marijuana, with each bundle weighing approximately 1 pound. Additionally, Troopers found $9,350 in cash inside the suspect’s vehicle.
ASP arrested the driver, Kristi Dortch, 50, of Eureka…, California, and transported her to the Pope County Detention Center, where she was charged with Felony Possession with the Purpose to Deliver of a Controlled Substance, Felony Possession of a Drug Paraphernalia, and multiple traffic violations. Dortch told investigators she was traveling from Eureka…, California, to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Please note that although the press release originally stated Kristi Dortch was from Eureka Springs California, we have confirmed with Arkansas State Police and an employee of the Pope County, Arkansas Detention Center that she is from Eureka, California.
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Arkansas. They have traps along the east-west highways with troopers looking for out-of-state licese plates. Boom pulled over. K-9s come. You’re busted. Someone I know was this reckless and was pulled over under the guise of speeding in Arkansas in 2018. The law called for 10-15 years for 200+ pounds. He got 5 years and was out in 18 months. No priors and a nice judge got him back home. He said the jails there are pretty bad.
In the era of body and vehicle cams it’s a little harder to make a pretext stop unless the driver is doing something stupid.
But it’s always best to obey traffic laws in strange environs – and make sure those turn signals work!
Pretext stops are perfectly legal…somehow even still in the Peoples Republic.
Well they weren’t in California, were they…
I don’t see cdfw so no they weren’t
Pretext has to be in the top 10 of vague words.
And don’t get profiled.
Arkansas is a zero-tolerance state and have signs stating such. If your tire touches the line, they’ll pull you over. 1mph over the limit, they’ll pull you over. “Swerving” in your own lane, pulled over.
Etc.
Yeah. A little harder to make it stick. But no matter the legality of the initial exchange, if found with anything on their Christmas list you will be tied up at the very least until you involve judiciary, if not council as well.
Same thing can happen here in beautiful downtown Ferndale.
Where possession of 120 pounds (or 10,000) would get you a misdemeanor at most.
Wyoming watches for any west coast license plate, their state makes back the cost of enforcement by seizing vehicles. Stoners should vary their delivery route to avoid states who enforce weed laws.
I look for east coast and Midwest license plates to determine who’s in my state to grow weed and transport it back.
Michigan and Minnesota vehicles showing up at building supply stores are easy give ups in my area.
You forgot new jersey
Those people are the worst…
Probable cause to stop is still required. Out of State plates do not count.
Right. Cause they never profile drivers and then invent a reason to pull them over
If they don’t have “probable cause” they invent it. Simple as that.
I live in Arkansas. They pull you over on I40 for nothing and either say you followed to close or was on the center line. I had a flat and was drilled 3 different times by 3 different troopers even after me telling the other 2 i had already encountered a trooper. its ashame how people are treated. and its always ive been doing this along time your really nervous.
Darwin Award
You think she’s going to die from this?
If she doesn’t, and probably won’t, she’ll definitely make a few contacts.
two weeks in an Arkansas prison and she’ll wish she was.
California plates are always a reason for pulling someone over. Might as well put a target on your vehicle.
Yeah, you have to switch cars when you get out of California…..
Naw, you just have to switch license plates not the whole car
Yeah- just go grab or steal those new plates and stick them on your drug-filled car. Problem solved! LOL
yeah ,that’s a great idea. Sarc
And then swerve around so they can’t really see the plates…That’s a pro tip!
If you weren’t doing anything illegal you wouldn’t have to worry about it. The south don’t play when it comes to trafficking/transporting.
Plates didn’t matter but didn’t help. Both fit the profile that has been long established. Shame on the ones that hung each of these souls out to dry. Blessings to the fallen.
https://www.4029tv.com/article/arkansas-marijuana-arrests-i-40/60805344
I suppose a large number go undetected. I wouldn’t take the chance for a few bucks.
The years out of your life gone, forfeit.
Anybody with half a brain who knew what this woman was doing should have stopped her and talked reason. People that grew up here or have been here too long have no clue what the country is like out there….Arkansas, Tennessee- these are Bible Belt states and the reason you get better weed prices is directly due to the fact that if you get busted you will get punished with prison terms. Only professionals need apply….amateurs get sent away into cages…
Real sophisticated operation there. Cont bags with a blanket over top, seriously?
Amazing she made it all the way to Arkansas.
Did you ever wonder why it’s pronounced Arkan-saw and not Ar-kansas?
The river is the Ar-kansas.
There is a town in Kansas named ArKANSAS too XD
Super cub with a Sorenson tank, non stop, land at associates property, unload and go home. I was never pulled over at 7000′ feet.
Love those cubs. 🕸️
I guess she chose to pull the Chrysler Pacifica out of the garage that day instead of her Super Cub.
Just remember if your associate gets busted and rolls on you, you will still be invited out, and the law will be waiting for you at that private runway….
She was charged with transporting narcotics. Not charged with allegedly transporting narcotics
Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha fuckin ha. Ha ha fuck ha. Shit,ha ha. Stupidity has no limits.
illegal marijuana
People still trying to make chump change off of weed?
Kinda like snuggling tomatoes or jalapeños, at this point. 🤣
Snuggling tomatoes or jalapeños would make for one spicy night.
🍅🌶🔥
Reading the headline, my 1st thought was she’ll probably get 120 days in jail. Then I got to the word ARKANSAS. Make that 120 years.
I drove to visit family in the Midwest, got pulled over in Missouri and asked if I had weed (just had personal amount of hash) told the officer I didn’t have anything. He brought out drug dog who he claimed “hit” on the back of my truck, maybe smelled the kibble I brought for my dog. Didn’t find the hash, did discover I had a problem with my turn signals though. On my trip back I got pulled over in Illinois and they asked if I had cocaine or money. Once again, drug dog was brought after I refused to let them search my truck. Cop said he couldn’t read what state my plates were from because the very tip of the L in California was covered by part of the frame that said Eureka CA. They definitely be profiling us California drivers over there.
Umm yeah! Been going on for decades. Never have a CA plate east of CA ha ha. In the day we used to switch rigs out in Utah, switch again in Chicago. Still felt weird having IL plates in NY but way hella wicked better than that cursed pull-me-over-and-search-me CA plate! You know what CA means to the cops in those other states? It means “I just came from that liberal anything-goes communist place and my vehicle is full of drugs and whatever”….
And they weren’t wrong…
There are a lot of Humboldt people in Oklahoma. They’re growing “legal” weed there then transport it out of Oklahoma around the country. Driving 🚗 through the south and east coast with Oklahoma plates is more low profile than driving with California plates. Depending on whether or not you’re still in the game and how deep you want to take your trafficking business you have to adapt to the changing landscape.
Yeah basically you have to compete with every crime organization in California not very mom and pop anymore
Yes there is , only because the permits are so cheap ! I worked on a farm , it was a 50/50 split, but the Asians took over . Bottom line , I left and went to a state who is buckled down . I don’t ever want to known as that person who takes weed from California to the east coast and get caught!!!! No thank you 🙂↔️ welcome to the Midwest y’all
Read in another site that she had over 200 lbs. Back in late 80s early 90s, it was common practice after harvest season to see CHP vehicles just n/o Ukiah on the off ramp looking for people heading south from Humboldt to the bay area.Anyone transporting 120 – 200 lbs. of weed like that was asking for trouble. Multiple traffic violations?
There were two separate incidents included in one press release. Together there was 200 pounds but Kristi D. didn’t have that all by herself.
Was it worth a mandatory 20 year minimum in Federal prison for 54 kg of marijuana for transport and sale? Going through six states committing a crime is always going to end up being prosecuted in Federal Court and under Federal law.
Federal minimum prison sentence for anyone considering this as a career.