Jasper police have charged an Edmonton man travelling on Highway 16 for trafficking after he was found with 52 pounds of marijuana from British Columbia.

The marijuana, enough to make 79,000 joints, was seized on Thursday, April 15 sometime around 4 p.m.

The police stopped a vehicle travelling westbound on Highway 16, just west of Hinton for a ‘routine traffic stop,’ according to the RCMP.

A search of the vehicle soon after the stop located the drug. Police did not indicate why the search was initiated.

Charged with ‘trafficking a controlled substance’ is Cesar Horocio Orona, a 40-year-old man from Edmonton.

“That road is a major thoroughfare for drugs coming out of British Columbia and into Edmonton. All the major drugs travel down that road; marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, whatever,” said Sgt. Ron Lyons of Jasper Traffic Services.

He said finds of a similar size tend to happen along the highway once every month or so.

“We make a fair number along there,” said Sgt. Lyons.

However, he does not believe that the busts are making a serious dent in the amount of drugs flowing into Edmonton and other communities.

“It’s really just a drop in the bucket,” he said.