Jefferson City man suspected of getting package with weed inside

Twenty pounds of marijuana was seized Thursday as part of an on-going drug investigation by the Cole County Sheriff's Department.   ¦  Courtesy of the Cole County Sheriff's Department

COLUMBIA – Jesus Gonzalez of Jefferson City was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute after he signed for a FedEx package containing 20 pounds of marijuana, according to a news release from the Cole County Sheriff's Department.

Two people were present to sign for the package, including Gonzalez, the release stated.

An informant gave a tip about the shipment to the Sheriff's Department, which worked with the Mid-Missouri Unified Strike Team and Narcotics Drug Group Drug Task Force. The task force is a multijurisdictional task force in mid-Missouri that facilitates investigations across county lines.

“We were pursuing an ongoing investigation and acted upon information from a confidential informant,” said Capt. John Wheeler of the Sheriff’s Department.

At 10:11 a.m., authorities completed a controlled delivery of the package to the 1200 block of St. Mary’s Boulevard in Jefferson City. The Cole County K-9 unit searched the package, which contained two bricks of marijuana weighing 10 pounds each, the release stated.

Gonzalez was transported to the Cole County jail after his arrest. His bond was set at $200,000.