Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent, of the Rhode Island State Police and Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, announced the arrest of a Pennsylvania resident after Troopers seized 317 pounds of marijuana during a motor vehicle stop.
On Monday, April 18, 2016, at approximately 11:55 a.m., a Trooper assigned to the Wickford Barracks stopped a white minivan, bearing a Pennsylvania registration, for laned roadway violations on Route 95 North in the City of Warwick. The vehicle was subsequently stopped a short time later. The operator was identified through his Pennsylvania’s driver’s license as Jian Zhi Li, age 44, of 1724 Solly Avenue, Philadelphia, PA.
During the traffic stop, the Trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in Troopers locating/seizing 327 vacuum sealed plastic bundles of marijuana that were packaged in twelve large cardboard boxes located in the rear of the minivan. The total weight of the packaged marijuana is 317 pounds. Li was placed into custody without incident and transported to the Wickford Barracks, where he was held overnight. Li was arraigned in Third District Court on Tuesday, April 19th before the Honorable Associate Judge Pamela Woodcock-Pfeiffer, and held without bail on the following charges: 1. Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver, 2. Manufacturing/Possessing/Delivery of Marijuana Over 5 kilograms. Li has a bail hearing scheduled for May 3rd.
A conviction for possession of marijuana (over 5 kilograms) with intent to deliver carries a prison sentence of up to life in prison and a fine of not more than one million dollars ($1,000,000).
