Two Minnesota residents were arrested Thursday, April 6, 2018, travelling east-bound along Interstate 90 at mile marker 70 with a large quantity of marijuana.
Lao Songying and Yia Yang were initially stopped for driving over the speed limit. During the traffic stop, the deputy noted the smell of marijuana. Further investigation and search of the Toyota Tundra pickup turned up roughly 85 pounds of marijuana.
Both Songying, 50, of Minneapolis, and Yang, 41, of St. Paul, are in the Pennington County Jail facing offenses of possession of marijuana more than 10 pounds and intent to distribute one pound or more of marijuana. Both are class three felonies.
The Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team continues to investigate. UNET is part of the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Agencies involved with UNET include the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and South Dakota National Guard.
