Nearly 1,800 Pounds of Marijuana Found in Austell

When authorities Thursday pulled over a white 2004 GMC Savana Passenger van in Austell, the smell of raw marijuana was "overwhelming."

That was because the van contained about 1,797 pounds of marijuana packaged in 63 bundles, according to Cobb arrest warrants for Paul Modesto Serrano Santiago of Atlanta and Rigoberto Romero Aguirre.

Aguirre, whose address is not known, was behind the wheel of the van about 10 a.m. Aug. 1 when officials with the Cobb County Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol conducted a safety check at the intersection of Oak Ridge Road and Oak Ridge Commerce Way, according to the warrants.

"Upon law enforcement contact, said accused, while stating that he did not have a driver's license, did point to a Honda Accord driven by ... Paul M. Serrano Santiago," according to the warrants.

Though Santiago was "visibly nervous and was noticeably interested in the van behind him," authorities said that he allowed them to search the Accord.

During that search, they found "three large spools of green shrink wrap, a roll of duct tape, and a large postal sized digital scale," according to Santiago's warrant. "Said accused was then detained."

Agents with the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Narcotics Unit also located a drug ledger written on cardboard underneath the Accord's driver floor mat, records show.

Aguirre was arrested on one count each of marijuana trafficking, driving without a license and no brake lights. Santiago faces one count of of marijuana trafficking.

Both men remain in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond, according to online jail records. Aguirre has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold on his release.