Traffic stops last week resulted in several arrests and the removal of pounds of marijuana off the streets, enabling Mississippi law enforcement agencies to put a major damper on the local drug trafficking trade.

Friday the Picayune Police Department conducted an undercover surveillance operation where detectives observed several known narcotic offenders arriving and leaving shortly after their arrival, reported the Picayune Item newspaper. The operation entailed the traffic division's conduction of a routine stop at a local intersection. During the stops, approximately 43 pounds of what is presumed to be marijuana was recovered from the rear seat of the suspect's car. Estimated street value of the drug weighs in at $20,000.

The suspect was arrested for both possession of a firearm and a controlled substance with the presumed intent for distribution.

Thursday deputies conducted another routine traffic stop for careless driving. When a deputy approached a vehicle during one of the stops, he spotted a marijuana cigarette in the ashtray. The driver was taken into custody for possession of marijuana. A search of the vehicle produced a bag of marijuana in the glove box.

Deputies then escorted the suspect back to his residence where he and the other occupant of the home consented to a house search, during which deputies discovered about four pounds of marijuana hidden in the back bedroom of the residence. Baggies and scales were also confiscated.

The Pearl River County Sheriff's Department played its role in the removal of illegal substances off the street last week, too. Tuesday, deputies served a search warrant on a residence where they found six two-foot tall plants outside the home, according to Capt. Chris Lott. The suspect was charged with manufacture of marijuana and given a $30,000 bond by a justice court judge.