PEARL, Miss. — Two metro Atlanta men were arrested after a traffic stop led to the confiscation of more than 2,100 pounds of cocaine and marijuana, according to authorities.
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The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said Yohannes Teane Haile, 36, of Lawrenceville, and Belayneh Kassa Befikadu, 42, of Clarkston, were arrested Thursday during a joint law enforcement operation in Rankin County.
Officers stopped an 18-wheeler traveling along Interstate 20 and discovered 204 pounds of cocaine and 1,959 pounds of marijuana, authorities said.
Haile and Befikadu were charged with aggravated trafficking of cocaine and trafficking of marijuana. Both were taken to the Rankin County Detention Center.
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The operation involved the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Interdiction Team, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and the Madison Police Department.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said his department remains committed to working with other agencies to reduce the availability of drugs in Rankin County and across the region and state.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said it will continue working with local, state and federal partners to combat drug trafficking and disrupt criminal organizations.
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