Traffic Stop Lands Truck Driver in One of Arkansas’ Biggest Drug Busts of the Year

A routine traffic violation on I-40 in Lonoke County quickly escalated into a massive drug bust after Arkansas State Police pulled over 37-year-old truck driver Tobias Xavier Taylor of Richmond, Virginia. Troopers initially stopped the rig near mile-marker 173 for an unspecified traffic infraction, but once they searched the trailer, everything changed. Inside were 960 pounds of marijuana, 1,000 pounds of THC products, 27 pounds of synthetic marijuana, and a firearm stashed in the sleeper, a discovery that immediately signaled a major trafficking operation.

Taylor was arrested on multiple felony charges, including drug trafficking and simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm. Arkansas authorities say the seizure, nearly 2,000 pounds of illegal products, is one of the largest of the year. What began as a standard roadside stop ended with a massive blow to a drug distribution pipeline and a truck driver now facing a serious legal battle.