This is what is known as good police work.

Memo To The Criminals: Don't drive erratically if you are hauling contraband.

Harrisburg Patriot-News: Police seize $1 million in drug bust
20 pounds of marijuana, weapons, ammunition found in vehicle on I-81

What started as a routine traffic stop early yesterday ended up as one of the most significant local drug-trafficking busts in memory.

State police said they seized 20 pounds of high-grade marijuana, $1.1 million in cash and an assortment of weapons and gun parts after pulling over a pickup truck on Interstate 81 in Susquehanna Twp.

Trooper Greg Miller stopped the northbound Chevrolet Silverado around 4:40 a.m. after observing the driver, Richard N. Benedict, 31, of Akwesasne, N.Y., commit several traffic violations, police said. When talking to Benedict and a passenger identified as Richard J. Adams, 20, of Cornwall Island, Ontario, Miller became suspicious.

"There were numerous indicators of criminal activity ... some related to statements made by the individuals, some related to alterations of the vehicle," Miller said.

After calling for backup, Miller asked the occupants of the truck for consent to search the vehicle and the dual-axle flatbed trailer it was towing. A drug-detection dog was brought in and gave indications of controlled substances on the trailer, police said.

The trailer was taken to state police barracks in West Hanover Twp., where a search discovered a hidden compartment in the floor, police said. Inside the compartment was the marijuana, packaged in nine large plastic bags, the cash, two assault-type pistols, .50-caliber ammunition and replacement barrels for assault rifles and pistols, police said.

Both men were charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of firearms without a license. They were arraigned before District Judge Michael Smith and placed in the Dauphin County Prison in lieu of $15 million bail.

"This was a very significant and unusual [seizure] based on the quantity and combination of things seized," Dauphin County First Assistant District Attorney Francis T. Chardo said at a news conference last night.

The men were believed to be headed from the Tampa, Fla., area to upstate New York and the Canadian border, Trooper Julius Grayer said.

State police said the marijuana had a street value of $90,000 to $100,000. They gave no estimate of the value of the munitions.

The cash is expected to be taken in a forfeiture action under a law that allows law enforcement officials to seize money derived from criminal enterprises.

"It will be used for law enforcement purposes," Chardo said.

Secret compartments are frequently found on vehicles used to transport drugs along I-81, a highway that is a "very popular route" for drug traffickers, Grayer said. He estimated police make five to seven drug busts along the highway in the midstate each year.

It is common for traffickers to consent to a search, figuring such compartments will not be detected, Miller said. The suspects probably did not expect the dog to be called in at that time of day, he said.