Two arrested on drug charges

Richard Grant and his son, Patrick Grant, remain in custody at the Elmore County Jail on felony drug trafficking charges.

A routine traffic stop on the interstate Monday afternoon led to the arrest of two Kansas men on charges of drug trafficking.

Elmore County deputies stopped a vehicle driven by Richard Grant, 66, near milepost 92 on the eastbound side of the highway.

During the traffic stop, Sgt. Steve Burnett detected an odor of marijuana emitting from the car, said Chief Deputy Mike Barclay from the Elmore County Sheriff's Office. The sergeant had his state-certified narcotic's dog, Phoebe, conduct a search of the vehicle's exterior, who then alerted the handler to the presence of narcotics.

A search of the vehicle revealed more than 11 pounds of packaged marijuana with an estimated street value of $44,000. Investigators also secured $4,879 in U.S. currency from the vehicle.

Grant and his son, Patrick Grant, 31, who was a passenger in the vehicle, were arrested and charged with a felony counts of drug trafficking in marijuana. Patrick Grant was also charged with a misdemeanor count of possessing butane hash oil and the synthetic drug methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, or MDMA.

Both men were returning to their home in Shawnee, Kan., following a brief stay in Oregon when they were stopped on the interstate. The case remains under investigation by the Elmore County Sheriff's Office.