Police: Man caught with 350 pounds of pot in Hampshire

A North Carolina man was arrested in Hampshire with more than 350 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $3 million on Thursday, officials said.

Levi Blalock, 36, of the 200 block of Buckhorn Road, Moncure, North Carolina, was charged with cannabis trafficking, unlawful possession of cannabis and unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, according to a news release.

Members of the Kane County sheriff's special operations unit were patrolling the parking lot of Super 8 hotel on the 100 block of Arrowhead Drive, Hampshire, around 8 a.m. Thursday when they started speaking to Blalock, according to a news release. Blalock gave police conflicting stories about what he was doing in the area, the release said. A drug-sniffing dog was brought in and had a positive hit on Blalock's vehicle, according to police.

Deputies searched the vehicle and in the enclosed truck bed found 15 large garbage bags containing 296 smaller bags of cannabis with a total of about 354 pounds of high-grade cannabis, police said.

The estimated street value of the drugs is $3.2 million, according to the news release. Police also seized about $3,100 in cash, the release said.

Blalock is being held at the Kane County jail awaiting a bond hearing.