It sounds like an elementary school math problem.
If four people have 2,140 pounds of marijuana wrapped in 107 bales, and each bale weighs 20 pounds apiece, how long will it take them to unload the bales from a van?
The answer: Long enough for somebody to notice.
An anonymous caller in Rosemead tipped the Sheriff's Department Tuesday to several men who were taking items from the van into a home, according to Sgt. Teresa Garrett of the Temple Station. Deputies responded just before 12:45 p.m. to the 9700 block of Loftus Drive, near Temple City Boulevard.
Deputies thought they were investigating a burglary in progress. Instead, they found three men and a woman running from a van that contained more than one ton of marijuana wrapped in 20-pound bales, the Sheriff's Department said.
The van was parked in a driveway outside the home with its rear doors open.
Inside the van were 107 bales of marijuana, weighing a total of 2,140 pounds, Garrett said. A Sheriff's Department photo of the van showed more than 20 of the plastic-wrapped bales filling the vehicle's interior from floor to ceiling.
The seized marijuana has an estimated street value of around $1.5 million, Garrett said.
Four people were arrested. They remained locked up Wednesday night at the Temple City Station, said sheriff's Lt. Julio Salcido.
