OLIVE BRANCH: A former Olive Branch man was charged with smuggling almost 400 pounds of marijuana. Willard Hampton was arrested Sunday while driving a semitruck on I-55 near Crump Avenue. The arrest surprised Hampton’s neighbors. Hampton used to live in an upscale Olive Branch neighborhood.
Police said they stopped Willard Hampton for swerving while he was driving a semi on I-55 near the McLemore exit. After finding his trailer was not registered and weighed much less than other rigs that size, they had a K-9 search the truck. The dog alerted there were drugs inside, so an officer got into the back of the truck and cut open one of the seven boxes that were there.
What he found was a liquid that came out of the packages: laundry detergent. Officers said smugglers use it to disguise the smell of drugs. Inside the boxes, police found 329 bags of marijuana, weighing in at almost 400 pounds. Police also found money and a loaded gun in the semi. The charges were especially unnerving to Hampton’s neighbor Kia Cameron. Her kids were constantly over at Hampton’s house with his children.
“They play with them almost every day!” she said.
Hampton was charged with possession with intent to sell, unlawful possession of a weapon and violation of vehicle registration. His bond was set at $500,000.
